UH Racing at Formula Student 2024

UH Racing were delighted to receive the RS Grass Roots Build Fund for their Formula Student project this year! As a thank you to RS, the team have prepared the following article, which details their journey to Formula Student UK 2024.

Introduction

For the 2023-24 Formula Student season, a team of 25 students from the University of Hertfordshire brought UH27 to life. Starting with a basic concept in September, thousands of hours of effort went into the development of the vehicle, through CAD design, using Computer Aided Engineering tools to optimise the topology of new parts, as well as physical prototyping and testing, before manufacturing and assembling the most developed electric vehicle at UH Racing since 2010. Unfortunately, whilst electrical challenges persist, the vehicle was mechanically ready and will provide an excellent test bench for the next generation vehicle.

2023-24 saw, for the first time in many years, first and second-year students incorporated into the car build team, rather than focusing on future concepts. The skills they have developed are invaluable, and the team are confident that this change will pay dividends in years to come.

UH27

Built on a steel tubular spaceframe, UH27 is an all-wheel drive electric Formula Student car, now six years into development. Since UH Racing last posted on DesignSpark, new decoupled roll and heave suspension has been utilised at the front of the vehicle, and the rear has been completely redesigned, supporting changes to the electric powertrain.

Bespoke motors and gearboxes are used in each corner, fed power by two dual inverter units, giving the team the ability to implement an advanced torque vectoring system in the coming years. Energy storage is handled by a 579.6VDC accumulator, developed in-house, and contained within a Kevlar enclosure. The team adopted a design philosophy which prioritized simplicity, leading to an aerodynamic package which was assembled in less than half the time of similar packages produced by the team in recent years.

By utilising the RS Build Fund to purchase wires, heat shrink, electronics enclosures and switches, all wiring looms were finished before the end of April, enabling the team to spend several months refining the control systems and integrating new hardware, unfortunately running into circuit board related issues in the lead up to the event.

UH27 at Formula Student UK 2024

After a tough year in 2023, where the team came back without a single scrutineering sticker – it was all hands-on deck to push for all the scrutineering elements that could be passed, and the team were delighted to walk away with Safety, Tech and Chassis stickers. Additionally, the team got most of the way through Accumulator scrutineering and are confident that the proposed design will only need minor tweaks ahead of next year. UH27 also graced the EV scrutineering bay for LV checks, revealing that once again, there are minimal issues the team will need to resolve ahead of 2025.

Despite not having a running vehicle, UH Racing performed well in the static events, achieving a 3^rd place finish in the Business Plan Presentation and picking up a good spread of points in Design, Costing and Lap Time Simulation. Overall, a 20^th position finish is a good platform to build on for the upcoming year, with the team able to identify key areas to focus on.

UH28 and beyond

UH Racing is already hard at work designing UH28, with the goal being to design and manufacture the new vehicle in parallel with testing with UH27, setting them up for a stronger finish at Formula Student 2025.

As always, Formula Student is a learning experience. UH Racing has learnt a great deal about effective team management and project development this year, not only through using new tools but also through working with fantastic partners. The team behind UH28 is using those learning opportunities to ensure they start the year with the right momentum. UH Racing is excited to introduce a brand-new cohort of undergraduates to Formula Student and are incredibly grateful to RS Grass Roots for supporting them over the last year.