Students of Poznań University of Technology are building a car for the Formula Student competition

PUT Motorsport team has completed the registration process and in August will take part in the event on the Hungarian track in Győr. Poznań team will compete with more than 40 other universities. The team members have just completed the design of the car and are starting the construction of the machine.

The car will weigh 250 kg, and its shell will be made of carbon fibre. When this weight and 80 horsepower engine, the car will reach 100 km/h in less than 4 seconds.

"We have ordered the first parts, including light steel used in the aerospace industry. We will use it to make the frame, on which it in the coming months we will install all the components. I can not reveal the details of the design, it would make life too easy for our competitors" - told PAP team leader Mikołaj Zygmański.

Poznań University of Technology student added that the competition is not about reaching maximum speed. More important is the strength of the car, the average speed that can be obtained on the laps, and the team’s knowledge.

The group is made up of 23 students from various faculties and specialisations. The project is interdisciplinary - the team members are engineers, marketers, people responsible for the engine, shell, car electrics. Students must build the car without the help of lecturers from the execution of the business plan and marketing strategy development, through design and construction, to vehicle testing.

Mikołaj Zygmański explained that the project allows to gain experience that can not be obtained at the university. "The university authorities are aware of this, which is why they support our team. It will be easier for us to get a job - we have already started to receive internship and placement offers. After graduating, will be able to go to employers with skill in hand, and not only begin to learn" - he added.

Poznań University of Technology Vice-Rector for cooperation with business, Prof. Jan Żurek noted that the combination of theory and practice is very important. "They are solving specific problems. Most of them will be able to pursue engineering and masters projects on the basis of this competition. They will confront their knowledge with a number of global centres" - Prof. Żurek told PAP.

According to the vice-rector, students who engage in this type of projects may in the future engage in the development of design and technology - for example, work in R&D departments, of which there are still too few in Poland. "Polish companies also need to develop such departments, so that we not only work on assembly lines, but also sell our ideas in the world" - added Prof. Żurek.

The main task in Formula Student is to build a race car, but teams need much more to succeed. The competition is divided into dynamic and static tests. Among the former is an endurance race over a distance of 22 km, which less than half of the teams complete. In addition, each member of the team can be asked about the technical issues. Students must also explain why they have used particular design solutions, what they have spent the money on, how would they like to sell their car in the virtual market.

Poznań team takes part in the competition for the first time. Polish teams that previously participated in the competition include the teams from Warsaw University of Technology, AGH University of Science and Technology in Kraków, Silesian University of Technology, Wrocław University of Technology, Warsaw School of Economics. Worldwide, more than 600 university teams are building similar cars.

PAP - Science and Scholarship in Poland

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