URE19 is the name of the electric race car developed by University Racing Eindhoven (URE). The vehicle can be operated both with a driver and autonomously. As the name suggests, it is the nineteenth car that the student team has developed since its formation. 

TU/e student Esmee Tetteroo knew she wouldn't be able to go on vacation last summer before she even started her board year as team manager. “A year at URE always looks the same: we work hard on designing and building the car throughout the academic year, and then race in the international Formula Student competition in the summer.”

Historic event

The race in Assen took place from July 12 to 17 and was a historic event for two reasons, says Tetteroo. “Because the TT in Assen is celebrating its 100th anniversary, but also because this was the last edition of Formula Student in the Netherlands.” The organizers of the event are calling it quits.

Which is not to say that student racing in our country is doomed. According to Tetteroo, the Netherlands has six or seven racing teams from universities as well as universities of applied sciences. From now on, however, they will have to rely on competitions abroad.

Final rankings 

URE ended the era on home soil in style. Eindhoven finished second in the final rankings out of the 44 participating teams. The TU/e team achieved this by performing well in the Acceleration (75-meter sprint, third place) and Endurance (22 kilometers, second place) components, among others.

Not all of the competition elements took place on the track, however. The car's grip and cornering behavior were also tested (third position), and the team was asked to present a business case (second position). “The long-term goal of all teams in the Formula Student competition is to prepare engineers for the corporate world. That is why this assignment was included.”

Baden-Württemberg

A month later, a URE delegation traveled to Baden-Württemberg for Formula Student Germany (FSG). No fewer than 84 teams appeared in the arena, the famous Hockenheimring. “In Assen, we only drove with a driver, but the FSG also has autonomous components.”

URE failed to secure a podium place this time, but did break several of its own records. In the Acceleration section (75 meters), the car and driver crossed the finish line in 3.53 seconds, “going from 0 to 100 kilometers per hour in 2.1 seconds.”

In autonomous mode, the URE19 took 3.89 seconds to complete this section, which was also a record. And during the autonomous track drive, a longer race, the TU/e team's car completed more laps than ever before in the competition. Tetteroo: “There is still a lot of room for improvement in the systems, but in terms of performance, the self-driving car is getting closer and closer to the car with a driver.”

Chassis

What are URE's plans for the new season? For URE20, the student team can expand upon URE19, according to Tetteroo. “We typically design a completely new car every three years, after which the next two versions will build upon that.”

URE19 is such a completely new design. “The chassis is entirely new, the suspension is different, and the car is more aerodynamic.” Based on the experiences in last summer's competition, the team can now further fine-tune the design.

And Tetteroo? She has now handed over her duties to the new team manager. “I'm back in the lecture halls, working on completing my bachelor's degree in Computer Science this year. But I will definitely remain involved with URE as an advisor.”

University Racing Eindhoven (URE) was founded 22 years ago and has nearly eighty members, including seven full-time members. This makes it the oldest and largest student team at TU/e. Every year—except during the coronavirus pandemic—URE members develop an electric, autonomous racing car that participates in the international Formula Student competition.

Yet there is also a higher goal: training engineers for the industry. Working together, establishing contacts in the industry, marketing, acquisition, finance... it's all part of the package. “Because our scope is so broad, we have members from practically all study programs. Students of Fontys and SintLucas, for example, are also active at URE,” Esmee Tetteroo explains.

This article was translated using AI-assisted tools and reviewed by an editor