Hej again!!!!

Who are we?

KTH Formula Student team is a project run
entirely by students, where we build our own race car to compete in the
Formula Student competitions. The team was founded in the year 2003 by
Dr. Fredrik Westin, a former PhD student at KTH. Since then, years have
passed, many versions of our car have been made and the project has
witnessed many student teams every year, one thing that remained within
us and has grown on us is the spirit to make the best and the Most
Amazing Car! We are The KTH Formula Student Team- the coolest
Engineering project team on the campus! Ever!!

What is Formula Student?

Formula Student is one of the most
renowned motorsport competition in Europe that is entirely meant for
engineering students. Student teams across the globe design and build a
one-seat race car to compete with each other in several events- static
and dynamic as we call it. The static events include judging the design,
cost report and design presentation of the teams whereas the dynamic
events include tests in acceleration, endurance, energy efficiency etc.
We can talk more about the events in the later posts.

The competition is based on the
assumption that the car is manufactured for production and so it is
important for us to design and manufacture the car in that perspective-
an awesome car at an economical price! Formula Student is partnered by
many acclaimed industry giants to encourage students to be innovative
and to inspire them to take up a career in engineering.

What is so special about the team??!

Well, to begin with, we are a bunch of 80
students, from different academic backgrounds and of course different
countries, and, we all work together to manufacture the most amazing
super cool car ever! I’m not even exaggerating that! We design,
manufacture and test every component of the car ourselves!  Most of the
components are manufactured in-house at our garage on the campus.

That’s not all. The experience one can
gain from being in the team is immense! We are much like a proper
automotive company. We have multiple subgroups within the project that
handle tasks related to Powertrain, Electronics, Vehicle Dynamics,
Aerodynamics, Composites, etc. We even have a management team to handle
human resources. We also follow standard industry practices not only in
the making of our car but also in how we operate within the team.
Considering, this is a project that was founded in 2003 and we make a
new car every year, we maintain all the information and
documents specific to each year’s car in our data repository for version
control. We use standard communication tools and have web-based project
management workspaces. Since I have two years of industry experience, I
can tell you that this team and the practices within the team mirrors a
typical industry work environment and this is exactly why it is such a
great opportunity to be a part of KTH Formula Student Team!

The learning is immeasurable, not only do
we gain the knowledge about practical applications in our own track but
also end up learning about the car as a whole ’cause of the fact that
we collaborate with all the other sub-groups within the project. Such a
holistic learning experience is beyond comparison, indeed!

Also, we are not only backed by different
labs at KTH but also by our awesome industry partners. Apart from
providing us with monetary, hardware and software support, our partners
also give us their valuable professional and academic guidance that
has always been the shaping factor of the team and has made us who we
are today. Also, the students in the team have the opportunity to do
their thesis within the project, or also in collaboration with our
industry partners and the team.

So, now, do you agree with me that it’s indeed a dream project for KTH students?  Definitely! 

How did I make it into the team?

Everything in Sweden, in general, is
driven by well-defined procedures, and KTH Formula Student Team is no
different! We had a very comprehensive interview process to recruit this
year’s new student members.

There was an application process that
tested our knowledge through quizzes. We even had specific tasks
assigned to applicants to gauge our knowledge and interest in our chosen
track. For example, one of the tasks I had to do was to model a
controller for the motor using Simulink. This was followed by a
one-to-one interview process with the project leaders. And, cracking
which, led me to be a part of the team 

So, now I am working as part of the
powertrain group in the project. Oh! wait! I am still in the probation
period right now. We’ll be confirmed in a months time. Anyway, I am
quite hopeful about it. Haha, I told you that we mirror industry
standards. Believe me now?

Well, Let me not get the post too long,
So stay tuned to hear more about the car, the project and our plans for
this year. We are planning something amazing….wait till next week to
know about it 

Btw, don’t forget to visit our webpage – KTH Formula Student Team

And, do follow us on Facebook and Instagram!

See you soon!

~Sindhu