Overview
This project is about discovery, teamwork, and passion. It's a zero to one journey to build a racecar to compete in the Formula Student event. As new technology evolves much more quickly, the rapid advancement of the industry makes it harder for undergrad students to keep up. Therefore, we hoped this project could close the gap and also discover new possibilities. This project started during my junior year at NCKU; as one of the kick-off members, I had the opportunity to execute and learn end to end. It was a wild ride and a special experience for me.
Project Goal
The primary goal was to build a small formula-style racecar to compete in the Formula Student event, which is quite challenging for a first-year team.
Formula Student
Formula Student (or Formula SAE in some countries) is one of the biggest student events around the world, whose purpose is giving undergrad students an opportunity to apply their skills in practice. As for now, more than 20 events and 200 teams are active around the world.
Teams think of themselves as small-scale vehicle manufacturers to design, develop and produce a formula-style racecar, working on various aspects like operating, designing, manufacturing and marketing. We participated in Formula Student Japan 2019, which was held in late August.
There are three main classes in the competition: combustion, electric, and autonomous. Combustion started in the 1980s, which has the longest history and most resources; therefore it's the easiest to begin with and has the largest number of teams. Electric was introduced in the 2010s, with the increase of difficulty, resources-taken, and the issue of safety, while the project aspects are wider than combustion gasoline. Autonomous started in 2019, and is the most advanced; today its teams and competitions are mostly in Europe and the US.
We aimed for the electric class for its broader scope and the promising trend of EVs.⚡️
Before We Begin
We started with getting familiar with the competition and did some research about what a first-year team should aim for on its first attempt. From reading the competition rules, learning from documentation, and looking for advice from experienced teams, the idea was to build up the necessary knowledge as soon as possible.
We learned that most teams spent 1+ years on their first attempt, so setting an appropriate goal would be crucial for us. And FS is usually viewed as a degree-level project, sometimes considered a standard by the automobile industry for engineering students to transition from university to the workplace. As a student-centric event, safety is undoubtedly the top priority and first concern; therefore strictness of the inspection could be expected, and it won't be easy for first-year university students.
At the same time, we also visited other experienced teams in Taiwan, NTHU Racing, STUST Racing, and Taipei Tech Racing. Seeing what they've built and listening to their stories really taught us a lot (and made us realize it was going to be tough.🤞🏼)
Early Stage Challenges
- Resources
- Financial and material resources were the first things we had to deal with, among many others.
- Knowledge
- The knowledge we had and what school taught us were far from enough for us to complete the vehicle.
- Management
- There were actually a tremendous number of things outside engineering to consider; we learned as we built out the vehicle and the team.
- Experience
- Experience plays a huge part in the competition. As a first-year team, we had nothing but a passionate heart.
As Frame & Body Lead
We started with 15 members in the team, and I was mainly responsible for frame design/manufacturing and the overall vehicle planning along with two other members. In the early phase, we all had to wear lots of hats and do whatever we could.
I started the design process by researching, reading other teams' design documentation, and taking their results as references and inspirations. Then I did some sketches to familiarize myself with the frame structure and ideate possible applications. After dozens of attempts, I moved forward to 3D modeling using software (SolidWorks), revisited the whole process, made adjustments, then started over again. Discussions, modifications, and iterations became routine until the end of the design phase/the end of the season (alongside uncertainty, anxiety, exhaustion...)
For me, designing a frame was more like figuring out a way to integrate all components onto the vehicle with other subteams. Therefore, it's essential to know the basics of all the components on the vehicle.
Building the vehicle, in short
Even though the purpose of the event is to let students develop the vehicles on their own, it might be a challenge when it comes to complex or high-precision components. Working with/reaching out to local corporations taught us the practical applications in use today, and we also learned that going from design to production isn't a one-way process. There are many prerequisites like drawing, material, timeline confirmation and lots of back and forth before getting into the development.
Working with the industry taught us more about professional workflow, and helped us understand industry standards. We really appreciated the assistance and advice from the industry.
Preparing for competition
Before getting into the competition, teams have to submit a video of the vehicle in operation (Shakedown Certificate) as a qualification for participation. If a team can't pass the Shakedown Certificate, it can only join the static event of the competition.
We actually rarely had time for vehicle testing due to lack of experience and countless incidents along the way. Despite that, we still managed to have a couple of testing sessions before packing to Japan. All we remembered was the indescribable fulfillment when the vehicle first landed on the ground and was driven around the basement parking lot.
As for the vehicle transportation from Taiwan to Japan, we needed to make sure the packaging and documentation were fully prepared. These procedures seemed trivial but turned out to be lessons in the operational side. And for overseas teams around the world, shipment of the vehicle tightened up the project timeline even more.
FS Japan 2019
Formula Student Japan 2019 was held in late August at Shizuoka Stadium ECOPA, with 98 teams in total from around the world. Four were from Taiwan, and 27 vehicles were electric. The event ran five days: three of static events, then two of dynamic.
Vehicle Examination
The schedule of the event is quite tight; teams have to quickly get through all the Static Events in order to join the Dynamic. As a first-year team, we needed to get familiar with the event and also make sure the vehicle was operating correctly. As we progressed step by step, we were stuck at the end of examination and therefore missed the deadline to get into the dynamic events. However, we still passed all the examinations before the event ended, which was a rewarding accomplishment for us.
Static Events
Static events, excluding the safety inspection, are more about how and why we built the vehicle and what the business plan was. The static events are Design, Cost, and Business Presentation.
Dynamic Events
Dynamic events are about understanding the performance of the vehicle. The dynamic events are Acceleration, Skid-pad, Autocross, Endurance, and Efficiency.
Achievements
- First FS racecar - The first FS racecar ever built at NCKU, and the first participation in the FS event.
- Electric inspection - The second team to pass the vehicle examination for electric class in Taiwan.
- The team - Establishment and the start of a multidisciplinary team.
Reflection of 2019
Self-education
The knowledge and tools were mostly new/unfamiliar to us, so learning by ourselves became a basic skill we needed. It can be said that learning is one of the core reasons this project exists.
Cross-division Collaboration
It's impossible to have these great achievements without teamwork; collaboration between members with different backgrounds is also essential behind these results.
Problem-solving
Throughout the whole journey, dealing with the problems/challenges we faced was a daily routine, and they probably were where most lessons came from.
Teams
Organizations
🏁 🏁 🏁