Yesterday, joint Formula Student Team of Tallinn University of Technology and TTK University of Applied Sciences presented Estonia’s very fist electric Formula E car FEST14, developed since 2012 and about to participate in Formula Student product development competition.
From start to finish, the car is made by brains and hands of the students; the only parts purchased are the electric engine and its controller. As compared to an internal combustion engine, an exceedingly powerful car has been created accelerating 0–100 km/h in 3.4 seconds.
«The car, fondly nicknamed Chimney Swallow, did its initial ride at Baltic Open, in Põltsamaa, last week, competing with Danish, Finnish, German, Swedish, Russian, and Estonian student teams – 16 cars all in all, four of these electric,» said the Formula Student Team Tallinn captain Teet Praks.
«At speed tests, our car showed the best results, but we regrettably had to step out of the endurance race. We still took the victory thanks to our 2010 internal combustion car, beating the Swedish Karlstad and Danish Aalborg universities,» summarised the captain.
In the upcoming season, the Estonian Formula Student team intends to put its e-car to the test at an ambitious European tour: in Austria (Red Bull Ring), Hungary (Győr) and Italy (Verano).
Formula Student is a product development competition mainly for technology students featuring designing, building, presenting, testing and racing a small one-seat car.
Formula Student team Estonia was created in 2006 and has thus far made six cars. Successfully, Estonia has been represented in Germany, the UK, Finland, Sweden, Hungary, Austria, the USA and Canada. The best feat so far is 2nd place at Formula SAE Michigan races, in 2013.