Three Phases of Electric Class at Formula Bharat
3 min readAre you interested in preparing for the Electric class but don’t know where to start? Formula Bharat has created the ultimate step-by-step guide which provides interested teams to make the gradual switch to the Electric class in an economical manner.
Building an electric vehicle is no easy task. In addition to the variety of components that need to be sourced from outside the country and its long procurement times, the cost of building an FS electric vehicle can be more than two times of a combustion vehicle.
The purpose of three steps below is to guide teams towards building their understanding in what encompasses the design and manufacture of an electric vehicle through an approach that is cost-effective and feedback intensive.
Step 1: FSEV Concept Challenge
The FSEV Concept Challenge is a competition which evaluates teams on the conceptual engineering design of their vehicle’s electric powertrain. Teams are also required to submit an FMEA and present on their procurement strategy, team management strategy and software integration strategy. The FSEV Concept Challenge is usually hosted in mid-July.
The FSEV Concept Challenge first began in 2018 and since then, it has proved to be an effective stepping stone for teams who plan on moving into the Electric class, or those who wish to have the new members on their team gain competition design experience. [Archive]
Step 2: Virtuals [Electric Class]
The Virtuals at Formula Bharat (FBV) is a competition that allows EV teams to focus on the overall vehicle design concept, without have to directly manufacture a vehicle for the season. Teams participating in this competition will need to prepare documentation towards their engineering design and their business pitch.
Originally launched in 2020, the FBV event will prove helpful for teams who are interested in growing in the Electric class but do not yet have the funds to build an electric vehicle for the competition season.
From the 2021 season onwards, a virtual racing component has also been added with to the FBV competition.
Optional: Accumulator Tech Review
At this accumulator pre-technical inspection, the team will be required to present the entire physical electric powertrain and tractive systems (including energy storage and shutdown circuits) that would be ultimately placed in their vehicle.
Teams already registered for Formula Bharat’s Electric Class will undergo this inspection at their workshop between September to December. However, those who have not registered for the main competition but wish to register for a similar review, will be able to do so.
Note: This is a technical review and not a challenge / competition. Teams will receive feedback during and post-review.
Link: https://www.formulabharat.com/accumulator-tech-review/
Step 3: Formula Bharat – Electric Class
Now that your team is confident in the knowledge gained from feedback received in the first two steps, and empowered by resources available online, your team can consider registering for the Electric class at Formula Bharat!
Concerns / Queries: Write to us at formulabharat(@)gmail.com