This season we managed to build a revolutionary car. Thanks to the loosening of the rules in the category of formulas with an internal combustion engine, we were able to take the car a step further with the development of our own hybrid system. We achieved this as the first ever Formula Student team worldwide.
We decided to go the four-wheel drive route and added two electric motors to the front axle in addition to the internal combustion engine. The drive is still dominated by the internal combustion engine. Electric motors with a power of up to 8.5 kW in combination with planetary gearboxes of our own design gave us an additional torque of up to 120 Nm on the front axle, which enables us to start and exit corners faster.
However, the hybrid system was not the only development carried out on the new car. We also have a completely redesigned aerodynamic package. Thanks to the use of profiles of our own design, which are now less sensitive to the leaning of the car in corners, during braking or acceleration, we have almost doubled the downforce compared to the car.
Due to the implementation of the hybrid drive, we had to design a completely new kinematics of the front axle, where we also adjusted our decoupled roll-heave suspension system, which we also added to the completely redesigned rear axle for the first time. Thanks to this, we can independently adjust damping and suspension on both axles. Changes to the rear axle were also accompanied by several modifications, such as a new frame.
Technical Parameters
| Frame: | Carbon fibre sandwich monocoque, spatial frame in the rear manufactured from high strength steel tubes (25CrMo4), TIG welded |
| Wheelbase: | 1530 mm |
| Wheel track (front/rear): | 1180/1100 mm |
| Weight of the Vehicle (without driver): | 212 kg |
| Longitudinal Weight Ratio (front:rear): | 49:51 % |
| Wheel Suspension: | Roll-Heave system on both axles, double A-arms of unequal length on both axles. |
| Damping: | Four-way, adjustable Öhlins TTX25 MKII dampers |
| Tires (front/rear): | Hoosier 16×7,5 -10 R25B/Hoosier 16×7,5 -10 R25B |
| Wheel Rims: | Machined centers with carbon collar |
Hybrid Electric Motors: | Plettenberg HP-620, water cooled |
Hybrid Converters: | Plettenberg |
Hybrid Battery Box: | Fireproof fiberglass casing, oil cooling, LiFePo4 14s2p battery cells |
| Engine: | Yamaha YZF-R6, straight-four engine |
Intake and Exhaust System: | Custom design, carbon fiber intake, titanium exhaust system |
| ECU (Engine Control Unit): | EFI Technology Euro 4 |
| Bore: | 67 mm |
| Stroke: | 43 mm |
| Displacement: | 599 cm³ |
| Compression Ratio: | 13,7:1 |
| Fuel: | RON 98 |
| Maximal Engine Power: | 64 kW at 10 400 rev/min |
| Maximal Torque: | 60 Nm at 8 700 rev/min |
| Second Gear: | Motorcycle chain 520 |
| Differential: | Drexler LSD v2010 |
| Cooling: | Forced - sealed intake ducts, coolers and electric fans. |
| Brake System: | Custom design of brake discs and calipers |
| Electronics: | AIM data logger, electro-pneumatic sequential shifting system |