The goal is to travel 1,000 kilometers on one kilowatt-hour
For two years, the students worked on the new prototype, and one change immediately catches the eye: After intensive flow simulations showed that front wheels integrated into the body offer significant aerodynamic advantages in corners and in crosswinds, they are now once again housed within the body, as was the case with the S2.
Tests using a wooden model of the S8 and a 3D-printed body helped the interdisciplinary team optimize the chassis and the design of the CFRP body even before the detailing phase began. In February, the Schluckspecht members spent three days at a company to sand and paint the new body. “We work a lot with exposed carbon fiber and highlight it,” explains Sebastian Tebbe from the media team. And so, upon closer inspection, the Maserati-blue shimmering pattern of the carbon fiber weave is now visible on the dark rear end. About 1,000 hours of work went into the new body, which stands out above all for its smoother surface, lighter weight, and higher torsional rigidity.
In addition, during the spectacularly staged roll-out event hosted by Franziska Kiefer and Jonas Breitkopf, the students presented several innovations to the chassis. The approximately 150 invited guests—including Rector Prof. Dr. Stephan Trahasch, Chancellor Dr. Bülent Tarkan, CDU state parliament member Volker Schebesta, the sponsors, and even two former students who were part of the Schluckspecht team when it was founded in 1998—could hardly believe their eyes. Among other things, straight-line stability, the friction of the steered wheels, the gear ratio from the steering column to the handlebars to the track rod—and thus the feedback for the riders—as well as safe handling were optimized through a precise analysis of the tipping limits.
“We’ve never before thought through every detail of a vehicle so thoroughly, from the steering wheel to the seat belt,” emphasizes team leader Prof. Claus Fleig. Everything was planned entirely in-house and initially created digitally. In the process, the engineering approach was significantly strengthened and industrial methods were applied. As a result, the team was able to achieve a significantly higher level of quality.
With this level of quality, the goals are also rising. In the long term, the S8 is expected to travel 1,000 kilometers on a single kilowatt-hour. The new prototype will make its debut on this journey at the Shell Eco-marathon Regional Competition for Europe & Africa, taking place June 23–29 at the Silesia Ring in Kamień Śląski, Poland. Then it’s time to keep our fingers crossed—for the S8 and the record, but also for the team’s second vehicle, the S5 Urban Concept. That’s because the team hopes to qualify for the World Drivers Championship in Qatar with both the S8 and the S5. And since all teams can compete with new specialty tires this time around, and off-track awards such as the Vehicle Design and Technical Innovation Awards will also factor into the final results, the standings could be shaken up quite a bit.
