ARUS, you will never race alone

It reaches the top 10 of the Design Event test for the first time in its history

Between July 8 and 13, the 2023 edition of Formula Student Netherlands (FSN) was held at the Assen Circuit, the first competition on the calendar for the ARUS Andalucía Racing , which arrived from Seville with 29 students from different Training Centers. the University of Seville , with the aim of testing all the changes made during the season in its new ART 23e car.

The summer presented a high uncertainty for the team, since numerous changes had been implemented within the car compared to the previous year, which meant an obvious change in cycle that involved focusing all efforts on the development of a competitive electric car. . Among them, the new battery stands out, the implementation of a screen on the dashboard that provides numerous useful information to the driver, a new aerodynamic package or the wiring of the car. But without a doubt, the greatest challenge focused on the future of the team, betting on a redesign aimed at the next 2023-2024 and 2024-2025 seasons where it is expected to implement new advances both for the development of a highly competitive electric car that at the same time perhaps allows us to address the challenge of developing the first Andalusian electric and autonomous car (Driverless category).

The FSN is a very special competition for both the team, which attended for the first time in 2018, where it won its first trophies in both the Cost and Business tests, and for the organization itself, which has always had a special affection for the enthusiasm, the joy, but above all for the fighting and tireless spirit that this team of Andalusians has shown in the lands of the Netherlands.

This competition is one of the first tests on the Formula Student summer competition circuit, and has a special pedigree in which the best teams in the world come to test themselves, because they know it is the toughest on the calendar. Those teams that manage to pass the technical inspection tests this week and top the podiums will surely be at the top of the ranking during the following competitions. The FSN has earned a reputation, starting from the small number of Universities that are admitted (33 in the electrical category, 15 in the combustion category, and even 1 team in the hydrogen category). Among the teams in the category in which ARUS assisted with its ART23e prototype are the best German, Dutch, Czechoslovak, Swedish, and Swiss universities in the world, among which UAS Graz, TU Berlin, U Stuttgart, TU Eindhoven, TU Munich stand out. , TU Delft, KIT Karlsruhe, U Lund, or TU Dresden among others. Among the Spanish universities in the electric vehicles (EV) category, along with ARUS as a representative of the University of Seville, were the prestigious UPC Terrassa (with more than 15 years of experience developing electric cars) and UPC EEBE Barcelona. Also worth highlighting is the assistance from UC3M Madrid in the Combustion Vehicle category.

From minute one, the members of ARUS knew that it was not going to be easy and that no one would give them anything in Dutch lands, and the team gave its maximum performance to overcome the tough technical inspections, which would allow these changes to be validated.

The first of the tests was the “Accumulator”, in which the compact and safe design of the new high-voltage battery was tested, surpassing more than 300 points to be reviewed by the judges. This first challenge was achieved after two long marathon days of more than 12 hours to validate the new battery. While this was happening, the rest of the team continued preparation to pass the two remaining inspections, “Mechanical” and “Electrical”.

Once the first challenge was achieved, we continued with the second of the two inspections, the electrical one. And overcoming it would not be an easy step. These two inspections were carried out simultaneously and limited by the high bottleneck associated with the rigor of the inspections. The more than 600 points to be checked on the car extended the inspection day until Wednesday night, and were completed the next day. During those endless days, the members of the team did not lower their arms until the end, showing off the fame that they have gained year after year, competition after competition, among the inspectors and the rest of the teams, who did not hesitate to help in everything as much as possible to the Sevillian team.

At the end of the competition, they managed to pass the anxious technical inspections of the battery, electrical and mechanical, and although it was not possible to jump onto the track with the ART23e and compete in the dynamic tests, these inspections have a very precious value that is expected to be translate into joy in the two remaining competitions throughout the summer in August in Formula Student East in Hungary , and Formula Student Germany in Germany.

To understand the complexity and value of obtaining these inspections, it is enough to emphasize that of the 33 universities in the EV category, only 9 managed to pass the technical inspections and carry out some of the dynamic tests: 5 universities carried out the Skippad (performing 4 laps in a small circuit in the shape of an eight), 8 universities carried out the Acceleration test (acceleration in a section of 75 meters), 7 carried out the Autocross (lap of the circuit) and only 3 universities completed the Endurance (22 laps of the Autocross circuit) . Of the 33 universities only 2 universities, UAS Graz and TU Berlin, were able to score in all dynamic tests.

On the other side of the coin, in static tests, the equipment shined. On the one hand, they managed to get, for the first time in their career, into the 'top 10', rubbing shoulders with the largest in Europe in the 'Design event' test, in which the design of the car is valued, which has the most value if you take into account the universities with which it competed. On the other hand, in the 'Cost Event' event, in which decisions regarding manufacturing or use of materials are judged, the team was just shy of the final, achieving fifth place. The Cost and Design tests were carried out on Tuesday, July 11, in which the team was lucky enough to have the assistance of representatives of the Higher Technical School of Engineering (ETSi), specifically, the one who has been the Director of the ETSi during the last 4 years, Mr. Francisco Rodríguez-Rubio, the current Director of the ETSi Andrés Sáez, and the one who has been and continues to be Deputy Director of Infrastructure of the ETSi, Mr. Alejandro García-Lomas. Likewise, Sergio Esteban, the Faculty Advisor of the ARUS Team, and current Delegate of the Rector for the Promotion of Technological Transfer in Teaching Innovation, lived with the 29 students throughout the competition.

Finally, in the 'Business Plan Presentation', they once again managed to position themselves among the best teams in the world, taking second place which earned them the chance to leave Holland with one more trophy.

The ARUS team has been the best Spanish team in all the Electrical Vehicle category competitions for 2 years in a row, and in this FSN competition, it has once again emerged as the best team in Spain despite its humble budget , and it is expected that this dominance will be repeated throughout the summer. Now all they need is for them to be valued in their homeland, but mainly from institutions such as the Junta de Andalucía and the Provincial Council of Seville to be given the financial support that the University of Seville has been seeking for years, since this group of young Andalusians They are going to make the development of the first Andalusian autonomous electric vehicle a reality shortly (they are already very advanced), and these institutions have to be in that photo to help with economic means to transmit the research, development and innovation generation capabilities that are treasured. in this land of ours, demystifying many stereotypes of the past, because the present and the future belongs to these young Andalusians.

ARUS is a motorsports team from the University of Seville. Until last year, during the season they designed, manufactured and validated a combustion car and an electric one. However, starting last year, they left the combustion category behind and focused on the electric category to, in the near future, give way to Driverless, in which autonomous, driverless cars compete.

In short, ARUS has proven, once again, to be a team that never gives up and that continues to grow year after year and fulfill dreams on the asphalt, paying tribute to its slogan, 'Race your dreams', once again. After the demanding FSN competition, the team has two major competitions left (Formula Student East and Formula Student Germany) where they will fight to continue giving joy to the disturbed ARUS. They have us very bad used to it, but if the successes do not come, it will not be because of the tireless fight and tenacity of these young people who are recognized throughout Europe not only for their joy, or for their songs, but for their desire to fight, as workers. tireless, with a desire to solve problems, to not give up. As one of their most recognized songs says, “fighting for my team I will give my all” and “until the last moment we don't stop fighting.”

This project, recognized among the most prestigious European Universities, has the support of the University of Seville led by the Higher Technical School of Engineering, where the project was born, which has been joined by other Centers such as the Higher Polytechnic School, or the School Higher Technician in Computer Engineering, all of them recognizing that it is necessary to join the challenge of supporting these students by seeing the potential of training the future leaders of this Andalusian land. It is also worth highlighting the multidisciplinarity of the project, made up of students from different centers of the Universities of Seville, where, in addition to the schools mentioned above, students from the Faculty of Communication, the Faculty of Economics and Business Sciences, the Faculty of Mathematics, the Faculty of Physics, or the Faculty of Tourism and Finance.