Today I got the opportunity to drive our DUT15! So much power in such a lightweight vehicle. The entire team that worked on this car had a few circuit laps and two acceleration runs. I have to admit though, the amount of acceleration is insane! I am a big guy, but this car still got me to 100km/h in just a bit more than 2 seconds.
Nonetheless, I have to share my crazy driving skills. Not that I am proud of myself or glad that I scratched those expensive carbon fiber wings. Here is what happened.
One year ago I joined this amazing student team. DUT15 is the name of the car that 80 people worked on so hard to bring it to life. Today I am proud to say that we are the overall winners of FSUK 2015, on the Silverstone circuit and the overall winners of FSG 2015 on the Hockenheim circuit!
About the car
DUT is a 4WD electric car, each wheel being powered by a motor.
Total weight (no driver): 160kg
Motors: 4 x AMK 35kW
Accumulator: 7.2kWh LiPo
Acceleration: 0-100Km/h in 2.3s
Design presentation:
From sketch to victory
I worked on the car as a part time Powertrain engineer. During the period of 9 months the entire team went through conceptual preliminary and detailed design, as well as manufacturing and testing. During the design phase, I was responsible for the water cooling system of the four motor controllers. During the manufacturing phase I was in the mechanical crew milling the suspension brackets and lathing the shafts of the car.
All in all, it was an amazing experience. I improved my design and manufacturing skills and most important, I had a lot of fun building this car!
Vlad Petrescu 