Since I joined Porsche in 1990 within the former major division “Analysis and Sport”, I’ve by no means misplaced my enthusiasm for significant motorsport, which helps buyer loyalty and expertise switch into our merchandise. 30 years later I’m standing on the Hockenheimring, watching 3,500 college students in 119 groups from everywhere in the world current their outcomes from a 12 months of onerous work on the racetrack: a single-seater formula racing automobile.

On August 11, 2019, the finale of this 12 months’s Formula Student Germany (FSG) competitors came about on the Hockenheimring. Within the three competitors lessons “FS Combustion (FSC)”, “FS Electrical (FSE)” and “FS Driverless (FSD)”, college students entered 60 automobiles with combustion engines, 40 electrical racing automobiles and 20 self-propelled automobiles. In every class, the general package deal consisting of design (engineering design), enterprise mannequin (marketing strategy presentation) and security test is decisive. Moreover, the driving traits of the racing automobiles — developed and constructed by the members themselves — are examined on the race monitor and included within the general rating. A jury of specialists from motorsport, the automotive business and suppliers evaluated the efficiency of every crew.

Within the static disciplines, the coed groups pitched the assorted technical features of their car to the jurors in discussions and displays. In engineering design, the jury evaluated the scholars’ constructive options, their understanding of their very own design and the calls for of a fictitious buyer group. Inside the associated fee evaluation, members needed to current their calculated manufacturing and meeting prices in addition to doable alternate options. A part of the FSG competitors is to develop a marketing strategy, too, that convinces potential buyers to supply the prototype profitably in small sequence.

The dynamic disciplines check the automobiles with regard to longitudinal and lateral acceleration potential, dealing with, sturdiness and effectivity. The automobiles won’t be admitted to those disciplines till all elements of the technical acceptance have been handed. The next disciplines shall be pushed and evaluated within the yearly FSG competitors:

• Skid Pad (figure-eight journey): Measurement of the utmost achievable lateral acceleration throughout a continuing round motion on an irrigated roadway
• Acceleration check: Acceleration with standing begin on a straight line of 75 m size
• Autocross (dealing with): Passing by means of a dealing with course of approx. 800 m in size for a restricted time frame
• Endurance (long-distance check): Driving a distance of twenty-two km on time, analysis of reliability and vitality consumption

It’s fascinating to see what the scholars are placing out on the street. The each day work within the FS groups is just like the coaching idea of CODE University in Berlin, through which the sensible undertaking conveys the instructing content material. Curiosity-driven training means to implement revolutionary issues in a undertaking and to be taught in a playful means: Seeing the results of their work, the completed racing automobile, compete, offers the group a particular feeling of getting achieved one thing significant.

As well as, there’s the aggressive side: the chance to check your abilities towards others and to be rewarded on your work encourages you to grasp even troublesome conditions and setbacks, to deal deeply with the subject material and to enhance. I see the FSG on par with competitions such because the Arithmetic Olympiad, Lego Mindstorms, Schüler Experimentieren and Jugend Forscht.

From my perspective, the Formula Scholar is an effective way to coach the subsequent era of engineers: The conception and building of an FS car may be very near the work necessities of a car (pre-)developer. That’s why Porsche AG has been supporting numerous Formula Scholar Germany groups and automobiles for a number of years now. Within the 2019 season, these had been particular person automobiles from the ka.racing groups of the College of Karlsruhe (KIT), TUFast (TU Munich) and Ecurie Aix (RWTH Aachen). The groups of the College of Stuttgart (Inexperienced Staff) and College of Esslingen are supported by the Porsche Engineering Group.

It’s at all times a pleasure for me to help the FS groups sponsored by Porsche at inside judgings and coaching or to attach them with our improvement division and suppliers for technical questions. For instance, I used to be in a position to assist the ka.raceing crew of the College of Karlsruhe by connecting them with the Porsche Motorsport undertaking 919 Hybrid to design and manufacture the steering system of their racing automobiles within the 2019 season in a lighter vogue and with much less steering play. This makes the automobiles simpler and safer to drive within the dealing with programs.

However let’s get again to the necessities — and technical: How did the groups’ electrical racing automobiles carry out?

ka.racing is second within the FSE general rating behind TUFast with its KIT19e e-vehicle. The KIT19e car stands out specifically because of its 4 inside, self-developed and manufactured electrical machines with 26.7 kW every. On the chassis aspect, the car has a mechanical elevate/roll suspension system that permits the elevate and roll spring charges to be adjusted independently of one another. The crew depends on 13-inch tires from Continental and makes use of light-weight, one-piece carbon wheels which can be manufactured in-house. The large potential of the car and the crew is demonstrated by high lap occasions within the autocross classification and second place within the acceleration check. ka.raceing additionally achieves second place within the effectivity and acceleration classification in Hockenheim and third place within the design and marketing strategy classifications. The ka.raceing crew already received the FSE competitors in Hockenheim as general winner in 2017.

The TUFast Racing Staff of the TU Munich with its e-vehicle №31 is among the high groups of the 2019 season and has created the undisputed quickest racing car of the class FSE. With a complete weight of solely 220 kg (incl. driver with 68 kg), the automobile with its 4 wheel hub motors is a high performer. TUFast developed ECUs, inverters and a 600V LiPo-HV battery in addition to refined aerodynamics by itself. Outstanding are additionally the slotted rear spoiler winglets, that are supposed to supply a strain compensation when cornering. TUFast received the FSE class (general) forward of ka.raceing in addition to the “Skid-Pad”, “Autocross” and “Endurance” classifications in Hockenheim 2019.

The Inexperienced Staff at Stuttgart College (No. E26) is the profitable crew within the Acceleration and Value & Manufacturing classes for electrical automobiles. Within the 12 months of the tenth anniversary and the tenth participation in Hockenheim, self-developed electrical machines had been used for the primary time as wheel hub motors with 4 x 34.5 kW energy. They’re managed by an inverter from AMK. With its personal motor improvement, the crew is nicely geared up for the subsequent season as nicely, since the usual motor provider of most groups will not be out there. The 600V LiPo battery with 7.55 kWh is oil-cooled. The brand new car of the sort E7011–10 has victory potential. Sadly the FSG 2019 is cancelled within the Endurance competitors. The Inexperienced Staff of the College of Stuttgart already received the FSE competitors in Hockenheim in 2010 and 2017 as general winner.

The crew ka.raceing with their driverless car KIT19d with the no. 419 received the second place (general) within the class Driverless, and moreover the particular worth “Daimler Driverless AI Award” in addition to the worth “Finest Emergency Braking System”. Within the dynamic exams “Skid-Pad”, “Autocross” and “Trackdrive” the crew achieved the first place among the many Driverless opponents. Second locations are additionally awarded within the “Design” and “Effectivity” classes.

The KIT19d car is provided with 4 lidar sensors and two cameras to the entrance and one digital camera to the rear. The model-based path planning and steerage is examined in a self-developed simulation atmosphere. This refined trajectory planning at all times helps to attain quick occasions when help by map {data} shouldn’t be but out there or is inaccurate. The monocoque and chassis come from a confirmed 2017 electrical racing car with a complete weight of 218 kg. The electrical drive has 4 inside electrical machines, every with an output of 23 kW.

The automobile with begin quantity 499 was the third self-propelled automobile of the Ecurie Aix crew of RWTH Aachen College. Primarily based on the monocoque and chassis of final 12 months’s electrical car, the car was prolonged by the self-propelled system with two lidar sensors and stereo digital camera. A sensor fusion connects the item alerts from the 2 redundant sensor programs. Optimum help is supplied through GPS. The whole weight of the racing automobile is 231 kg. In the long run, that is sufficient for seventh place within the Driverless class.

Beginning quantity 294 was the profitable car of the College Esslingen within the class FSC/Combustion. It’s powered by a modified 2-cylinder KTM engine with 706 ccm displacement and Walbro injection. The fuel used is petrol E85. The transmission is a 4-speed sequential transmission. Outstanding on this car are additionally a rear axle steering system in addition to self-designed roll dampers and elevate dampers from KW.

Over the subsequent few years, the organisers intend to increase the Formula Scholar competitors primarily within the route of automated driving capabilities, together with testing longitudinal and lateral management within the acceleration and skid pad disciplines. After the introduction of the e-vehicles within the competitors in 2010, this could take the pattern in the direction of extra automation in road-bound visitors into consideration. In my opinion, that is the suitable improvement: On this means, we’re getting ready the coed groups even higher for the duties of creating the mobility of the long run and researching probably the most trendy applied sciences.

The occasion in Hockenheim was a whole success for everybody, members, spectators, organizers and companions. This 12 months I additionally took alongside new, precious contacts to the scholars and future abilities and was in a position to deepen current cooperation over a few years. Now I’m off to the subsequent occasion in Barcelona and the planning for the subsequent season, for which I want all of the groups one of the best of luck and need them optimum preparation for the 2020 competitors. See you subsequent 12 months in Hockenheim!