Pakistan’s First Formula Electric Car to Participate in US Contest

For the first time, a Pakistani electric formula car has been selected for SAE Lincoln 2016 contest in the United States of America, which will be held from June 15-18.

Abdul Aleem, who heads the project, said that it took less than two years for students of Pakistan Navy Engineering College, a Karachi-based campus of National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST), to design the car.

This is the first time this group of Pakistani students is going to participate in a science competition held in USA. Previously, students of same university participated in different competitions held in Manila, Philippine and Cyprus, and they bagged an award for the Best Electrical Propulsion Power award in Cyprus Solar Car challenge back in 2014.

First Electric Car

There are nearly 25 students from NUST who participated, mainly from Electrical and Mechanical Departments.

Race to Make Pakistan’s First Formula Capable Electric Car Was Not Easy

The project could have been completed last year but a lack of funds meant the team couldn’t purchase spare parts critical for the project. The total project cost, including expenses of logistics and participation, was estimated at Rs 5 million and the team failed to raise it last year.

However this year, Bank Alfalaha financed the project requirements for the students, along with the participation expenses for the young inventors under its program “Rising Talent Award.”

Details About The Car Design and Competition

Running on Lithium Ion Polymer Batteries, the Project FERN car weighs 275 Kgs and is capable of achieving a top speed of 110 km/h with an acceleration of 0-75 km in 4.8 seconds.

Some of car’s salient features include Rack & Pinion Type steering system, Single Piston custom made aluminum Calliper braking system, and an Unequal A-Arm suspension system with push rods with SP-4 way dampers.

Formula SAE® is a student design competition organized by SAE International (formerly Society of Automotive Engineers. It is aimed at taking cars to the next level of engineering.

The concept behind Formula SAE is that a fictional manufacturing company contracts a design team to develop a small Formula-style race car. The prototype race car is then evaluated for its potential as a production item.

There are 100 teams who are competing in the competition, which is sponsored by the world’s most renowned automobile companies. The winning team will be given an award in ten categories along with a cash award.

Formula SAE promotes careers and excellence in engineering as it encompasses all aspects of the automotive industry including research, design, manufacturing, testing, developing, marketing, management and finances. Formula SAE takes students out of the classroom and allows them to apply textbook theories to real work experiences.