Battery development software specialist, About:Energy, is launching The “Formula Student: Drive to Recharge” initiative to help address the UK’s battery skills gap and support the development of 1,500 battery engineers by 2030.
As part of the initiative, the company has sponsored five Formula Student teams in the UK, including those from Imperial College London and University of Birmingham. About:Energy will provide each with cutting-edge simulation tools and education resources to enhance battery pack design, driving engineering innovation in battery development in motorsports and the wider industry
Formula Student is an educational engineering competition, which uses motorsport to inspire students. Run by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE), teams worldwide design, build, test, and race small-scale formula-style racing cars, powered by petrol engines or electric motors. However, with recent EV technology advancements, many teams are now switching to fully electric.
Battery simulation has significant value in accelerating electric drivetrain development for Formula Student teams, but initial adoption into development programmes is a barrier to entry that requires innovative lab facilities and months of battery testing.
Christian Pilling, Battery Simulation Engineer at About:Energy, says that
“Drive to Recharge” provides university students with the same modelling tools that are at the disposal of the largest companies in the world.
“This initiative enhances their engineering skills and tests their grasp of both theoretical and practical aspects,” he says.
Several Formula-Student Teams have gained value from the initiative already including Edinburgh, Oxford Brookes, Loughborough, Imperial, and Birmingham Universities.
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