TU/e student team participates in autonomous Formula Student race in Barcelona
University Racing Eindhoven will participate in the autonomous class of the Formula Student competition. For this, the team uses its electric race car that can also drive autonomously. The competition will take place from August 2 to 8.
It is the first time that University Racing Eindhoven is participating in the class for autonomous racing cars. According to the team, the URE15 developed for this purpose can reach a speed of 115 km/h on straights and 50 km/h in the corners without a driver. The Eindhoven team will compete with fourteen other international teams on the Formula 1 circuit of Barcelona.
In the competition, teams are judged on several points, including cornering speed, acceleration, stamina and a qualifying lap. The design process is also judged by a jury of members from the automotive industry. Teams also need to create a cost overview and build a profitable business model around their race car. Two years ago, URE wanted to participate in an autonomous race, but the team did not fully pass the technical inspection.
According to team manager Dennis Gubbels, autonomous racing is still in its infancy and there are hardly any competitions, making the race in Barcelona a big challenge. He does think that the team has a chance to win.
The team from Eindhoven uses its URE15 for the autonomous race. This is the student team’s fifteenth electric racing car and the second that is suitable for both a driver and autonomous races. The car weighs 200 kg, is about three meters long and sprints from standstill to 100 km/h in 2.3 seconds. The URE15 has four custom electric motors, good for a maximum of 140kW and 4x 400Nm of torque. There is also a 7.5 kWh battery on board.
With URE15, URE has already participated in other electric racing competitions, which do not drive autonomously. Earlier in July, the team achieved second place on the TT circuit in Assen. Thirty teams participated in the competition. For the autonomous races, the front and rear wing will be replaced by a computer and sensors.