Kautex was pleased to support the Formula Student Germany held from August 6 to 12, 2018 at the paddock of the Hockenheimring motor racing circuit. The Formula Student Germany (FSG) is an international design competition and is initiated by the Association of German Engineers (Verein Deutscher Ingenieure) since 2006. This year, 118 teams including 3700 students joined the FSG along with 450 volunteers, taking over functions as scrutineers, judges, event planners and event controllers.
Formula Student provides students with the opportunity to fully develop their skills and acquire new knowledge. In this competition, students from around the world have the task to build a single-seat formula race car with either a combustion or electric powertrain. Since last year, the students are also free to compete in the Formula Student Driverless competition, building a driverless car with autonomous features.
Altogether, they are competing in eight disciplines which should all be fulfilled within a week. Dynamic disciplines aim to test the students’ practical applicability. Therefore, they need to manufacture a functional car prototype, before they can compete against other teams in terms of handling, acceleration, braking ability, costs, aesthetics and ergonomics. Nevertheless, the competition is not won solely by the team with the fastest car. The event aims to introduce the students to the interdisciplinary approach of the automotive industry, requiring knowledge in economics and financial planning, as well as communication and presentation skills – besides their technical understanding. This is why, in addition to the mentioned technical aspects, the students must proof their skills in three static disciplines: business plan presentation, cost and manufacturing as well as an engineering design competition.
Kautex has sponsored the event for several years now, to support future talents and their passion for engineering and the automotive industry. In 2018, we provided the teams with a refuelling station for their racing cars, refreshing vegan ice-cream from NOMOO and also provided a fuel tank. Besides, several Kautex employees took part in the judging of the students’ business plan presentations.
Special Thanks to the Kautex "refuelling team” who stayed at the fuel station during the whole week in sun, rain and wind. Thank you for your great and continuous support in the FSG!