From 0 to 100: SDU Vikings are building an electric racing car from the ground up
The student-run racing team, SDU Vikings, aims to build the next-generation electric racing car 鈥� while training drivers on a home-built simulator in S酶nderborg.
'I fell in love with applying the theory I’ve learned 麻豆社区 to build a car that actually comes alive on the track, it’s been the most rewarding thing I've ever done as a student,” says Ali Aljaroudi, Head of the SDU Vikings’ electrical department.
SDU Vikings is SDU's Formula Student team competing in one of the world's largest student engineering competitions.
Since 2006, the SDU Vikings have designed and raced formula-style race cars, transitioning to fully electric cars in 2011. The current car, the Viking XI, weighs 191 kg and delivers 107hp. It accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in approximately 3 seconds and has a top speed of 120 km/h.
At this summer's competition at Assen, Netherlands, they faced Europe's heaviest-hitter teams backed by giants such as Bosch, Audi, Porsche, and Mercedes. As Ali puts it, the SDU Vikings' budget and capabilities are on the low end, which sharpens creativity:
'We often end up doing some guerrilla engineering – smart, robust solutions that aren't necessarily the obvious first choice. We're underdogs, and that pushes us to think outside the box.'
The SDU Vikings have had the lightest electric vehicle for 2023 and 2024 at Formula Student UK. 'It's great to be recognized for our innovative and lightweight designs,' Ali says. – but he doesn't hide that those same years also brought tough lessons in technical inspections.
'We simply lacked the time and tools to fix it on the spot,' Ali explains.
Instead, the team completed the static events: the business plan presentation, cost & manufacturing, and engineering design event, where engineers from the automotive industry grill every choice and demand calculations, simulations, and documentation.
The team started back after COVID, then with a few people and an inherited car. Now we're strong enough in both numbers and knowledge to design exactly the car we want,' says Ali.
“The driving isn’t that big of a problem; we enjoy the trips quite a bit, often playing some great music and just laughing together. However, in the months leading up to comp, it can get very draining as it’s a daily trip in the months before a competition, Ali says.
'The aim is to use it for driver training next season, it’ll allow us to train our drivers more frequently without the large-scale prep of a test day,' Ali says.
'No one can build a race car alone. You learn to work across disciplines, learning a little of each person's study line, and learn new ways of thinking. This helps outside the team as well, making everything from semester projects to Experts in Teams much easier,' says Ali.
For many, Vikings is also a springboard. Former members have found a foothold in industry – and within the team. Alumni from the team have gone on to work at Mercedes AMG and Zenvo Automotive.
'It's always been my dream to work with cars, preferably in a workshop or the pit lane. I want to build, not sit in a meeting room,' Ali laughs.
Read more about SDU Vikings here.
SDU Vikings is SDU's Formula Student team competing in one of the world's largest student engineering competitions.
Since 2006, the SDU Vikings have designed and raced formula-style race cars, transitioning to fully electric cars in 2011. The current car, the Viking XI, weighs 191 kg and delivers 107hp. It accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in approximately 3 seconds and has a top speed of 120 km/h.
Underdogs with a lightweight philosophy
The SDU Vikings spend large parts of their summers at Formula Student competitions – one of the world’s largest student engineering competitions, with more than 1,200 universities competing to build the best race car.At this summer's competition at Assen, Netherlands, they faced Europe's heaviest-hitter teams backed by giants such as Bosch, Audi, Porsche, and Mercedes. As Ali puts it, the SDU Vikings' budget and capabilities are on the low end, which sharpens creativity:
'We often end up doing some guerrilla engineering – smart, robust solutions that aren't necessarily the obvious first choice. We're underdogs, and that pushes us to think outside the box.'
The SDU Vikings have had the lightest electric vehicle for 2023 and 2024 at Formula Student UK. 'It's great to be recognized for our innovative and lightweight designs,' Ali says. – but he doesn't hide that those same years also brought tough lessons in technical inspections.
3 millimeters from the start
In Assen, after passing all electrical inspections, an oversight became a significant obstacle. After extensive welding, the chassis had warped ever so slightly, so the high-voltage battery ended up 3 millimeters below the permitted reference line.'We simply lacked the time and tools to fix it on the spot,' Ali explains.
Instead, the team completed the static events: the business plan presentation, cost & manufacturing, and engineering design event, where engineers from the automotive industry grill every choice and demand calculations, simulations, and documentation.
Reset: a whole new concept
After the summer, the Vikings are hitting reset: new chassis, new HV battery, new cooling strategies, new suspension, and a completely new software architecture and master controller. Everything is being built from the ground up with an eye on a July competition and their new generation of car, the Viking XII.The team started back after COVID, then with a few people and an inherited car. Now we're strong enough in both numbers and knowledge to design exactly the car we want,' says Ali.
Two campuses – one car
The Vikings are split between Sønderborg and Odense. The car is in Odense, so the Sønderborg group often travels north in the university's cars to work on the car, especially in the run-up to competitions. A lot can be planned, modelled, and built locally, but implementation requires hands-on with the car.“The driving isn’t that big of a problem; we enjoy the trips quite a bit, often playing some great music and just laughing together. However, in the months leading up to comp, it can get very draining as it’s a daily trip in the months before a competition, Ali says.
Simulator from a 2014 classic
In the basement under the CIE building in Sønderborg sits an older 2014 chassis – previously mostly a display piece. It has now been transformed into a full-blown sim rig with three screens, a force-feedback wheel, resistive pedals, and the team has modelled the current car's dynamics inside the simulator – from suspension to grip, so current and future drivers can train without rolling the car out of the workshop.'The aim is to use it for driver training next season, it’ll allow us to train our drivers more frequently without the large-scale prep of a test day,' Ali says.
A full-scale training ground
SDU Vikings includes electronics, mechanics, software, production engineers, media science, and marketing students, with around 60+ active members from 15 different study lines.'No one can build a race car alone. You learn to work across disciplines, learning a little of each person's study line, and learn new ways of thinking. This helps outside the team as well, making everything from semester projects to Experts in Teams much easier,' says Ali.
For many, Vikings is also a springboard. Former members have found a foothold in industry – and within the team. Alumni from the team have gone on to work at Mercedes AMG and Zenvo Automotive.
'It's always been my dream to work with cars, preferably in a workshop or the pit lane. I want to build, not sit in a meeting room,' Ali laughs.
Read more about SDU Vikings here.