Representatives from TES recently took part in the unveiling of a prototype EV race car designed by students at NUS.
The students are part of the Formula Society of Automotive Engineers (FSAE) Race Car project, and usually enter a combustion-engine car into FSAE Michigan. However, with the pandemic bringing about widespread travel disruption and the competition being suspended, a timely opportunity presented itself, allowing the team to get to grips with high-voltage (HV) systems and EV technologies.
Sustainable technology lifecycle solutions company TES is a sponsor of the NUS FSAE effort and has quickly recognized the value in tomorrow’s engineers pushing the envelope on EV battery performance today.
The project team, working from the NUS Engineering Design and Innovation Centre, has continued to focus on the global competition hosted by FSAE Michigan in the United States. The competition is considered an enormously challenging intervarsity contest involving some of the leading engineering universities in the world.
The resulting R22e prototype race car was unveiled in late June in the presence of high-ranking Singapore government officials and representatives from TES.
“Having accumulated rich experience in building internal-combustion-engine (ICE) cars over the years, we felt it was time for us to apply our know-how to experiment with building an electric race car and, ultimately, empower our students with engineering competencies to help protect the environment in big and small ways,” remarked Professor Seah Kar Heng, NUS FSAE Project Advisor, of the sleek EV race car designed and built by the students.
Eric Ingebretsen, Chief Commercial Officer at TES, praised the hard work and ingenuity of the students and said such efforts bode well for both the future of EVs and tomorrow’s forward-thinking engineers: “Showcasing the advancements in EV batteries through applications like this will only further accelerate the green transport revolution,” he commented.
Thomas Holberg, Global Vice President of TES Sustainable Battery Solutions, added, “We are genuinely pleased to have been able to sponsor this effort. TES is investing globally in the circular economy, including solutions for EV batteries. The first link in that chain will be the production of high-performance vehicles that will continue to capture market share for EVs as they emerge to become the cars, trucks, buses, and even the race cars of the future.”