Formula SAE warms up its engines, whether internal combustion or electric. At the Autodromo Riccardo Paletti in Varano de’ Melegari during this week the prototypes of the students and of Formula SAE will be back in action, which could be defined as a sort of Formula Futuro, because it is precisely from this competition that the world of tomorrow passes not only of motorsport, but also of mobility.
It is precisely in Formula SAE, with teams from universities around the world, that students from various departments compete in what is a springboard towards the top categories of the motoring world, but also to show off with the companies in the sector that decide to support the event every year.
An international level technical-sporting challenge that finds its roots in Italy thanks to the support of ANFIA (National Association of the Automotive Industry Supply Chain), which this year too is organizing the event that will take place from Wednesday 4 to Sunday 8 September at the Autodromo di Varano, partner of the initiative.
Over the five days, approximately 1,600 students from 19 different countries and 63 different universities will gather in the heart of the Motor Valley, representing 67 university teams – 52 of which are from the European Union (21 Italians, from 18 different universities) and 15 from outside the continent. There will therefore be 3 more non-European countries than last year, demonstrating the international scope of the event.
Formula SAE Italy 2023
Photo by: Davide Cavazza
The four classes of the event
As in recent years, the competition will consist of four categories, with the electric part really starting to be a driving force for the category, reflecting the interest of the automotive world towards this type of engine. In fact, in the 1EV class, the one dedicated to fully electric cars, there will be 34 participating teams.
Next comes the class of internal combustion vehicles (Class 1CV) with 19 teams, 2 of which with non-plug-in hybrid vehicles, and the driverless class (Class 1DV) with 9 teams, that is, the one dedicated to self-driving cars without a driver during dynamic events. The latter is extremely interesting because it represents an extremely innovative test bed with great development potential also for car manufacturers and other companies in the sector who, not surprisingly, follow the students’ projects with great interest.
Finally, there is also Class 3, the one dedicated to the presentation of the project without a prototype, where students can prepare for the future or present their ideas also from the point of view of marketing and economic feasibility of the project, one of the key points in the judges’ evaluation. New this year, the double participation class 1DV + 1EV, which includes 2 of the 9 teams of the 1DV class.
Formula SAE Italy 2023
Photo by: Davide Cavazza
The deep bond with the Motor Valley
The event can count on the patronage of the Emilia-Romagna Region, the Province of Parma and the Municipality of Varano de’ Melegari, while it benefits from the collaboration of the media partnership of Motor1.com and Motorsport.com. Alongside this is the support of 36 authoritative sponsors that not only give prestige to the competition, but also make it clear how intense the relationship with the action of the automotive world is.
In fact, Formula SAE Italy is supported by leading companies in the automotive sector represented by ANFIA and recruitment companies, including prominent names such as Iveco (main sponsor), Automobili Lamborghini, Bosch, Brembo, Dallara Group, Ferrari, Pirelli, Sabelt, SKF and Podium, the latter having just won the tender announced by the FIA for the supply of batteries for Formula E starting from Gen 4.
It is no coincidence that Formula SAE Italy works in collaboration with the Motor Valley Association, a great point of reference for motors not only in Italy, but also throughout the world. The names of the partners involved in the initiative is a demonstration of the importance of the event for all those brands that are actively looking for young and prepared personnel to include in their work groups.
The opening ceremony of the event is scheduled for Wednesday 4 September at 9:00 p.m. on the straight of the track. After the welcome greetings to the teams, the ceremony will be attended by the President of the ANFIA Components Group and Vice President of ANFIA Marco Stella and Pierpaolo Biffali, Head of Powertrain Product Engineering of Iveco Group representing the main sponsor of the event.
Giampaolo Dallara
Photo by: Formula SAE
Challenges for students
The beauty of Formula SAE is that it is not only an engineering challenge, although it remains the heart of the competition, but also a commercial one. In fact, the participating students compete in the design and construction of a single-seater racing prototype car that, however, must be intended for eventual commercialization, following specific technical and economic constraints, as if it were commissioned by a company in the automotive sector for a non-professional user.
This not only allows to involve other departments of the various universities, but also to deal with issues that companies face every day, such as the relationship between return and investment and understanding where it is more effective to invest to obtain a better product.
The aim of the event is to focus, more than the competition itself, on the skills developed by the kids in terms of engineering knowledge, commitment, organization and respect for deadlines, coordination of design and presentation of the product. It is an educational event in which the kids can learn the dynamics of teamwork, with precise rules and deadlines to meet, and be put to the test on the real construction and design phases of the prototype, with all the difficulties that this entails.
During the event, the student teams face both static and dynamic tests. The first includes Design Event, i.e. the presentation of the car project, Business Presentation Event, the simulation of the presentation of their project by each team in front of potential investors, and Cost Event, the analysis of the cost report drawn up by each team, which includes the quantities of materials and components used.
The dynamic tests are Acceleration, Skid Pad, Autocross and Endurance, with the latter consisting of the final event of 22 km with driver change whose objective is to establish the overall value of each car. For the driverless Class, Autocross and Endurance are replaced by the Trackdrive test.
The prizes up for grabs
The event will end on the evening of Sunday, September 8th with a closing ceremony, in which all the kids will participate and during which the winners will be awarded. Awards are planned for numerous categories, divided by class (Combustion, Electric, Driverless, 1EV + 1DV or projects without prototype) and by type of test.
This year, ANFIA will award the Best social networker on FSAE Italy 2024 App prize to the most active student on the FSAE Italy 2024 app, a new feature introduced to facilitate matchmaking, for recruitment purposes, between university students participating in the event and representatives of the event’s sponsor and partner companies, as well as to encourage networking between representatives of the sponsor and partner companies.
Formula SAE Italy 2023
Photo by: Davide Cavazza
Special sponsor awards include the one for the best cost-efficient vehicle offered by Dallara and the prizes awarded by Ferrari SpA to the teams in the 1CV and 1EV classes that won the Endurance & Efficiency dynamic test. FEV eXaV will offer the “Innovative Strategies for e-PWT System Control” award, while Geico will award the “Top Coating Award” to the team that presents the body with the best surface finish in terms of quality and innovation. Magna will offer the “The Most Digital Engineering” award and Marelli will reward the team that has managed to best balance competitive performance with sustainable and inclusive practices with an impact.
Podium Advanced Technologies will award the “Podium Advanced Technologies Best Battery Award” to the team that has developed the most innovative battery system in compliance with all the requirements and constraints of the project. Finally, SKF will offer the “Sustainability at 360 degrees: stay tuned, embrace the change” award, rewarding the winning team’s adherence to a series of ESG principles, while Teoresi Group will award the team with the best electronics development process (innovative controls, methods and architectures).
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