Author: Thomas Weber, AMZ Racing, ETH Zurich

Since global warming and dependancy on foreign oil are popular problems nowadays, my FSAE team AMZ has decided to replace the Japanese engine running on wood waste (also called ethanol) by electric motors full of rare-earth magnets fed by recycled electrons. While there are many different solutions of placing the components in a car, I would like to show you our layout.

Furka's exterior is pretty similar to our previous car simplon:

The power from the batteries is directed into the rear section of the monocoque, where it feeds two motor controllers. The rear wheels are driven independently with two chains.

The rear section of the monocoque can be detached from the front, including the entire rear suspension and drivetrain. By placing the motors in the center, we were able to design a pullrod setup. To reduce parts count and weight, we integrated the sprocket mount into the aluminium tripod housing and the jacking point is enclosing the anti-roll bar.



We're looking forward to seeing you at the competition.

VI-grade is pleased to invite you and your team to participate in Virtual Formula 2010, a competition built upon the rules and regulations of the Formula SAE and Formula Student competitions.

Sign up NOW (deadline for registration: Jan 31st, 2010)!

Register for the 2nd Edition of the VI-grade Virtual Formula competition and get access to our state-of-the-art simulation software to find the best set-up for your car (software, models and specifications will be sent to registered teams on February 1st 2010).

WIN!

A driving simulator powered by the VI-grade real-time vehicle model and the Concurrent Linux-based hardware, for a total value of 30,000 EUR.

THE CHALLENGE

Optimize the performance of a virtual race car, minimizing the lap time on a given autocross track. The competition will be won by the team that will drive the vehicle with the shortest laptime on the given circuit. Results must be submitted by April 30th, 2010!

SPONSORS

• Albatech Monaco
• Concurrent
• FStotal.com
• MIRA
• Danisi Engineering
• Triple8

DOWNLOAD VIRTUAL FORMULA 2010 FLYER

This evening the design of the tenth car in the DUT Racing car family has been presented to a great crowd. About 150 people attended the unveiling of the DUT10 in the faculty of Aerospace Engineering. After a short movie of the tragic end of FSG last summer, we looked forward to the new year, new possibilities, and of course, getting back the FSG Trophy.

 
All our engineers have worked hard the past months to evolve the successful design of last year. Even though the design has some similarities, almost every part has been redesigned. There are some notable improvements in the design. The monocoque moulds will be the same, however the side impact structure will be raised with the use of a new 3rd mould. This will increase the overall safety of the car, which is one of the spearheads of this year.

Furthermore the focus of this year will be on simplicity (easier to manufacture). Many parts are designed for production. Also, the steering mount will be cast out of aluminum and the Rear Engine Mounts will be laser sintered from titanium at Airbus.

The DUT10 will run on E85 and with a higher compression ratio we hope to gain some power and be more fuel efficient. The suspension will be designed on 10’’ tires and will be compatible with 13’’ tires. This year we will also focus on the aerodynamics. A new design of the sidepods and the use of diffusers will provide some extra dynamic down force.

More pictures from the car you can find on their website.