UWB students build their first electric formula car, first test coming up at the race in Most

More tham 18 thousand hours spent students from the University of West Bohemia in Pilsen (UWB) developing their first electric single-seater. The UWB eRacing Team Pilsen manufactured most of the components themselves. This week, they are to face their first race in Most.

The formula student team at the University of West Bohemia faced a challenging task this academic year – building a single-seater with an exclusively electric drive. Until now, they had always worked and raced with a machine powered by a combustion engine, which they gradually modified between student race seasons. Formula Student is the most widespread educational university competition in the world, regularly attended by over 800 universities. Students from four faculties – Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Economics, and Applied Sciences – worked on UWB’s first electric formula car.

The UWB single-seater, designated UWB E01, is powered by Fischer electric motor with an output of 80 kW, an inverter developed at UWB, and a carbon fiber monocoque frame. “For the construction of our first electric formula in history, we decided to use components that are mostly of our own design and manufacture,” said Richard Sivera, head of the electrical section. “Using custom-made components allows us to maximize the performance and efficiency of the single-seater, which will be crucial for our success in the upcoming races,” added Ondřej Lukeš, head of the mechanical section. The electric formula must handle 8 disciplines focused mainly on speed, agility, and fuel consumption. The team’s effective money management is also evaluated.

Students from various universities will compare the quality of the assembled formulas from August 5 to 10 at the first race at the Most Autodrome. A month later, they will face an international race in Castelo Branco, Portugal. For their first season with electric propulsion, the UWB eRacing Team Pilsen has set the goal of placing among the top 20 teams in the electric single-seater category and achieving a top 10 finish in at least two of the eight disciplines.

“I am truly proud of all the team members for their work and dedication in developing our first electric formula. Many thanks to all the faculties of the University of West Bohemia involved in the project and our partners for their support, without which we could not have succeeded,” said team leader Jan Procházka, adding, “In future seasons, we want to expand our membership base and also start working on the development of autonomous driving.”

The history of the UWB eRacing Team Pilsen dates back to 2009, when the project was created to provide students with practical experience in the development of racing vehicles. Since then, the students have achieved a number of successes, including 6th place at the Formula Student Italy race in 2019, where the team won the Acceleration discipline – accelerating to 75 meters, and the same result at the domestic Formula Student Czech Republic race. Since 2009, more than 50 students have gradually participated in the development.

Follow the student team's achievements on the web and social media: