STOBER supports Rennschmiede Pforzheim as a main sponsor
New Gemstone Picks Up Speed
Amethyst, or Amy for short, is the name of the new car from the Rennschmiede Pforzheim racing team. The team is competing in the Formula Student Electric (FSE) this year with the race car. In order to be successful, they developed the predecessor car further: Amy is now even more reliable and around 20 kilograms lighter. The students received support from STOBER. The platinum sponsor provided motors, gear units, drive controllers and accessories – including expertise. The new car was presented at the end of May. The first races are already underway.
Pforzheim, Germany, 2023-07-07 – “This year, our main focus has been on an even more reliable and lighter race car,” said Darien Massagli at the rollout of the new electric car, which took place at Pforzheim University. He has been a member of the racing team for several years. This season, he took on the role of mechanical director and first technical director.
Students from Pforzheim have taken part in this international design competition since 2014. Amy marks the third time they have competed with an electric vehicle. STOBER has been a supporter from the very start. “Initially, we only helped the team financially,” said Stephan Scholze, head of the electronics department at the Pforzheim-based drive specialist. “We have been a platinum sponsor since 2020, when electric motors replaced internal combustion engines at the event for good.
We have also intensified our cooperation and are supplying physical technology such as drive controllers, synchronous servo motors and precise planetary gear units with noise-optimized helical gearing. Our components are not actually designed for racing,” said his colleague Artur Wagner, head of the management center for gear units and motors. “Together with the racing team, we modified them to meet the requirements. We also brought a lot of engineering know-how and manufacturing support to the table. In addition, we made tests on our motor test bench possible.”
To make Amy lighter and more reliable, the racing team took a close look at the previous model. Head of Mechanics Massagli said: “We took a close look at all the modules in order to optimize components in terms of both weight and reliability.” The students determined a new layer structure for the chassis monocoque, and then created and manufactured it. This makes the race car significantly lighter. The suspension received revised spring/damper kinematics with new 3D-printed bell cranks.
The team also optimized the cooling of the drive train and battery. In addition, the cooling capacity of the drive controllers was increased by means of an 3D-printed heat sink developed in-house. The drive technology also trimmed excess pounds. The racing team installed a battery with its own battery management system. “The previous car didn’t have that,” said Massagli. The Aramid container that houses the battery also ensures a lower weight. “Overall, the RSP23, as the car is also called, lost 22 kilograms compared to its predecessor,” said Chief Designer Wagner from STOBER. “The geared motor alone reduces the weight by about six kilograms.”
A look back at the success story
Amethyst is the tenth racing car with which Rennschmiede Pforzheim has participated in this student design competition, which means it is celebrating an anniversary. The rollout at the end of May was also a chance to look back at the past years of the team’s history. The evening was moderated by Alexander Schubert from the Powertrain team and Cora Straubinger from the Media & Communication subteam.
Schubert revealed the secret of the name: Since 2017, all the cars have been named after precious stones as a reference to Pforzheim, known as the Golden City for its history of jewelry making. The predecessor models for the Formula Student Electric were called Sapphire and Amber, for example, and this year’s car is Amethyst.
The collaboration on this car was again very positive for both sides. “Our communication channels were short and pleasant, and the products were of high quality. STOBER was ready at all times to address our concerns and questions and to support us,” said Straubinger. “The drive specialist is a reliable, long-standing and trustworthy partner at our side.” Such partnerships are important, as the students faced new challenges again and again during the project.
Their challenges not only included finding motivation amid a daily routine of studying and the stress of exams: They also had to overcome delivery delays around carbon fibers, sensors and raw materials, for example. The result for the Formula Student Electric is impressive: Amy is ready for the Formula Student events in Switzerland, Austria, the Czech Republic and Croatia. Some of the events have already taken place, while others are still to come.
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