What happens when you put a race car on a fitness regimen?

by Lester Kok / Photos by Hillary Tan / Video by Hillary Tan and NVF-2 team

Students from the Nanyang Venture Formula 2 (NVF-2) team spent the last one and a half years engineering NTU’s latest car to be lighter, faster and smarter than its predecessor, the NVF-1.

We break down the car’s carefully calibrated “fitness plan” that transformed it into a track-ready beast. The open-wheeled one-seater recently went head-to-head with some 90 teams from across Asia at Formula Student Electric China. The students won the Pioneer Racing team award, given to the best new team in the competition.

Skip the bells and whistles to streamline your physique

Aerodynamic kits, such as front wings, can be great for speed, but when you’re racing on shorter circuits, they’re just dead weight. The NVF-2 skips the aero kit in favour of an open-wheeled design reminiscent of 1950s Formula One cars. “We didn’t need the extra downforce,” explains Mechanical Engineering student Daniel Foo, who handles the project’s media and outreach. “We prioritised agility and manoeuvrability, which is more crucial on shorter tracks like the one used for the recent race.” 

Burn energy efficiently

NVF-2’s electric powertrain setup is like the green smoothie of the racing world – it packs a punch with less waste. The team custom-designed a new battery system that’s half the weight of NVF-1’s but yet delivers power for longer. “Not only do we have to accelerate quickly, we also need to do it efficiently,” says electrical lead Li Siyuan, an Electrical & Electronic Engineering student. The car’s upgraded powertrain has cooling systems that manage heat well, allowing it to go from 0 to 100km/h in less than 5.5 seconds while burning less energy.

Race smarter with better brains

A smarter car is a faster car. The NVF-2 features an advanced driver display, real-time telemetry, improved brakes and a Vehicle Control Unit – the brains behind the brawn. With real-time data on performance, the team can adjust their strategy on the fly, just like professional race teams.

Cut the fat with lightweight materials

NVF-1 was a solid performer, but it was on the bulkier side at 420kg. So the team swapped heavier materials for carbon fibre and Kevlar, a lightweight material made from synthetic fibres. Team lead Shivam Selvam, a Mechanical Engineering student, explains: “By using advanced carbon fibre to build our panels and 3D printing to redesign and produce the car parts, we reduced the weight of the car to just 280kg – that’s a massive 30 per cent or 140kg off. It’s like shedding the weight of two people from the car!”

Enhance core strength with a chassis overhaul

The NVF-2’s chassis – a vehicle’s supporting frame – was completely reworked. “We’ve made it both lighter and stiffer,” says chassis lead Srimitha Sridharan, a Mechanical Engineering student. “This improves the car’s handling, with better weight transfer during tight corners, which is crucial for slalom time attacks. We’ve also improved the ergonomics with a custom seat and optimised controls, so the driver can focus better, have better car control and be less tired. Plus it’s a safer design in the unlikely event of a crash.”

This story was published in the Sep-Oct 2024 issue of HEY!. To read it and other stories from this issue in print, click here.