R18, the latest NUS Formula SAE (FSAE) race car, was unveiled on 28 March 2018 at the NUS Alumni House among faculty staff, students, close friends, supporters, former teammates and sponsors. The team of fifteen engineering undergraduates will be pitting themselves against more than 100 teams from around the world at the annual Formula SAE International Challenge held in Michigan, US (9 – 12 May 2018).
The newest FSAE race car boasts features that enhance the car’s racing performance. They include:
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- Wireless driver communication system, while the car is on the move
- Real-time telemetry with Android App for handphone
- Quicker automatic gear shift
The NUS FSAE faculty advisor Prof Seah Kar Heng said that the car will be disassembled after a few test runs over the weekends, and the parts will be shipped to Michigan, in time for the Challenge.
“My greatest joy in teaching is seeing students use what they learn in class to create a final working machine for international competition, such as this Formula race car,” said Prof Seah.
Goh Wei Liang, team leader of 2018 NUS FSAE, agrees that the NUS FSAE project offers immense exposure and learning opportunities. “Being in NUS FSAE has given me so many opportunities beyond textbooks and theories, which trains me well to become an engineer in the future,” shared Wei Liang.
Started in 2001, the NUS FSAE race car project is now part of the Innovation & Design Programme (iDP) which is one of the three differentiated pathways for students in NUS Engineering. By getting students from different engineering disciplines to work together on multiple projects throughout their candidature, the iDP aims to train entrepreneurial graduates who understand innovation and are able to apply their knowledge and skills to develop innovative technologies and solve problems affecting the community. Students who complete the iDP are awarded a Second Major in Innovation & Design alongside a Bachelor’s degree in an engineering discipline.
