Pöppelmann Students Put Fully Electric Racing Car on the Track

Deefholt Dynamics are putting vocational training in the fast lane – quite literally. This is the name of the PHWT Vechta-Diepholz team, which has been entering self-designed racing cars into the "Formula Student" competition since 2006.

This year, our dual students Benedikt Sauerland, Kevin Strauß, Mahmood Atash, Felix Brüning, and Andre große Macke were among the 60 PHWT students who presented the fully electric "DD26e" racing car at the beginning of July. "Deefholt", by the way, is the Low German name for Diepholz; "Dynamics" is self-explanatory given the nature of the task. Pöppelmann sponsored the team – not only financially but also by manufacturing key drivetrain components at the company's Tooling Technology Centre.

The project teams are divided into departments or modules: Benedikt Sauerland and his "Accumulator" module ensured the racing car's four powerful wheel hub motors didn't run out of "juice". Kevin Strauß and Mahmood Atash worked in the "Chassis" module to ensure the bodywork and suspension didn't go their separate ways during racing and that the driver was well-protected in the event of an accident. Felix Brüning was busy with the "Aerodynamics" module, making sure the car looked particularly good while offering better driving dynamics through flow optimisation. Andre große Macke actively supported this year's racing team at the first event at the Red Bull Ring, providing his expertise as an alumnus of last year's team.

Formula Student (FS) is an international design competition for students. Nowadays, nearly 600 student teams from all over the world participate annually: they design, build, test, and drive a self-constructed racing car in a small-scale Formula 1 style. The vehicles are judged on a variety of criteria, such as performance during racing disciplines and efficiency, as well as non-technical aspects like cost management. Deefholt Dynamics took their car to the track at this season's most competitive and important events: FS Austria (Red Bull Ring, Spielberg, Austria), FS Germany (Hockenheimring, Hockenheim), and FS Alpe Adria (Bugatti Rimac Test Track, Zagreb, Croatia).

The final overall rankings – 33rd at FS Austria, 57th at FS Germany, 26th at FS Alpe Adria – can be considered a complete success for the team. This is because a completely new drive concept was implemented with the DD26e this year: a transition from rear-wheel drive to all-wheel drive with wheel hub motors and planetary gearboxes, along with other changes from the previous season. "Implementation was a challenge for the annually changing team and brought many problems that had to be resolved leading up to and, in some cases, during the events," the team report states.

Image:
Fast and fully electric: The DD26e racing car at the Hockenheimring. Dual Pöppelmann students were part of the PHWT Vechta-Diepholz team that entered the car in the international Formula Student design competition.