TUE URE's Journey into the Future of Racing

Blog by University Racing Eindhoven

University Racing Eindhoven (URE)

University Racing Eindhoven (URE) is a student team from Eindhoven University of Technology, founded in 2003. With a team of around 80 dedicated students, we participate in the Formula Student competition, the largest design competition for students worldwide. Our mission is to educate the engineers of the future while building fully electric and autonomous race cars.

This year, we've been working on the URE18. Our goal for the URE18 is to maximize the testing time before competition, allowing us to fully unlock the car's potential. We aim to complete the car by April 1st, which is 1-2 months earlier than our previous racecars.

External DC/DC Converter

We rely on Eurocircuits rapid prototyping to validate our PCBs within days, allowing us to quickly identify and address issues. This ensures our designs are functional before ordering larger batches.

This year, URE is focusing on developing a DC-DC converter specifically designed to charge the low-voltage battery from the high-voltage battery (accumulator). The low-voltage system currently supports several essential components, including the water pump (for cooling the motors), LiDAR, the car's Electronic Control Unit (ECU), and many other systems.

Autonomous driving demands additional computing power and sensors, increasing the load on the low-voltage system. To mitigate this excessive drain, we are implementing a DC-DC power converter. This strategy extends the vehicle's overall runtime, reducing the need to replace or recharge the battery. These advancements will be advantageous not only during competitions but also during the crucial testing phases leading up to them.

What's Next

This year, we are competing in three Formula Student competitions. Our season kicks off with Formula Student Netherlands, where we will compete in the EV class with a driver. Next, we will participate in Formula Student East, competing in the Driverless class with an autonomous vehicle. Finally, we will compete in Formula Student Germany, combining both manual and driverless capabilities to vie for the Driverless Cup.