Ricardo has entered into a collaborative partnership with DIAN Racing and Tongji University, Shanghai, for the Formula SAE series (FSAE) 2019 race season in the full electric vehicle category.
 
FSAE is a worldwide race car competition for students, with 28 events held annually in 16 countries, organized by the Society of Automotive Engineers. For this race season, the DIAN Racing will participate to the Chinese and Japanese events of the FSAE, namely the Formula Student Electric China (FSEC) organized by SAE-China and including 66 teams in the electric category, and the Formula SAE Japan organized by SAE-Japan, with 27 teams in the electric category.
 
Through this agreement, Ricardo will deliver engineering support to help the students address key challenges in developing their vehicles, with benefits including the use of workshop facilities organised by the Ricardo office in Shanghai. The students will also be fully licensed and given training in the use of the Ricardo IGNITE modelling software, to support the DIAN Racing team’s work on vehicle performance and thermal management development.
 
In addition to this new opportunity of the DIAN Racing partnership, Ricardo and Tongji University are collaborating on development in two topical areas: Vehicle Dynamic Simulation & Control, and Advanced Energy Management Strategy. Ricardo is working with academic staff and students from Tongji on those aspects to design torque distribution and vectoring control strategies, as well as e-Horizon and other advanced energy management strategies for reducing fuel consumption and improving electric range.
 
Pieter Ramaekers, VP engineering for Ricardo Asia, said: “Ricardo is delighted to be entering into this agreement for a technical exchange and support arrangement with DIAN Racing and Tongji University. Over the course of the 2019 season, we are greatly looking forward to working together in partnership on electric vehicles to compete in the Formula Student competition in China.”