Singapore's first electric race car, the R22e which was designed by engineering students from CDE, has been officially unveiled at an event attended by Senior Minister of State for Transport Chee Hong Tat.
The R22e is the first electric-powered car from the NUS FSAE (Formula Society of Automotive Engineering) race team.
It was officially launched at an appreciation event for the team's sponsors held at the NUS Kent Ridge Campus on June 28.
WATCH A SHORT VIDEO OF THE UNVEILING BELOW:
The student-led FSAE project has been running for more than two decades and has until now focused on traditional internal combustion engine (ICE) powered cars.
However, when the COVID-19 pandemic prevented the team from travelling to Michigan in the US to compete against other student teams, they decided to take the opportunity to refocus their efforts on designing a cleaner, greener electric car.
The R22e can be driven from 0kmh to 100kmh in 3.9 seconds, and can reach a maximum speed of 125.5kmh.
Speaking at the event, Senior Minister of State Mr Chee said the launch of the electric car aligns with Singapore's effort to electrify its vehicle population, as part of national efforts to move towards a low carbon economy.
Singapore's transition to electric vehicles (EV) "will bring new and exciting opportunities in the new green economy," he told guests at the event.
Reflecting on the lessons that designing the car taught him, student Ananth Shanmugam - a member of the FSAE team and test-driver of the car - said that he was able to "learn far more than the theories taught in classrooms".
Working on the car gave him a chance to put the theory he learned into practice which gave him valuable industry exposure, he said.
The NUS FSAE team will be working on improving this year's electric race car design for next year's international FSAE competition that will take place in Michigan, USA.
