What does motorsport at Bonn-Rhein-Sieg University of Applied Sciences have to do with sustainability anyway?
The H-BRS has set the topic of sustainability as an important overarching motif of its education and research for several years now. At first glance, the design, production and operation of a racing car do not seem to have much to do with this topic. However, if you take a closer look at the project and the competition, it quickly becomes clear that students here are dealing intensively with the topic directly on the example.
The Project
For the Formula Student competitions, students develop a racing car and ensure that it is also manufactured. Here they learn directly from practical examples and can apply and massively supplement their knowledge from their studies. Implementing new trends and innovations are essential aspects that lead to the continuous development of the overall project. In 2013, our team decided to participate in Formula Student Electric and has been producing only electric racing cars ever since. In recent years, the topic of sustainability has been increasingly taken into account in conceptual design, development and manufacturing. There are several reasons for this:
Energy efficiency and lightweight construction are honored in the competition on the one hand by better lap times and on the other hand by a discipline of their own. We are forced into resource efficiency by our very limited budget. In addition, sustainability aspects are also honored in the theoretical disciplines of the competition. As budding engineers and managers, we are fully aware of the responsibility we have towards fellow human beings and the environment. This also allows the team to demonstrate that motorsport and the sustainability-oriented development of technical components are not contradictory.
The bottom line is to combine the engineering triangle and the sustainability triangle.
Engineering triangle
Sustainability triangle
