Please introduce your university and team!
We’re a relatively new team and represent the Pakistan Navy Engineering College, which is a constituent college of the National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST). Our first participation in Formula Student was in 2016 in FSAE Electric and we were formed two years prior to that.
We are based in the city of Karachi, though our members hail from all over Pakistan, and we want to raise awareness regarding electric cars in our country, so we are working on Pakistan’s first and (currently) only electric Vehicle at Formula Student.
We aim to build the best possible car with the least amount of resources; that means optimizing cost, performance and manufacturing!
How large is your team?
We have about 40 members at the moment. We took in roughly 15 new members this year, since quite a lot of the senior members will be graduating.
Members are channelled into five departments: electrical, mechanical, vehicle integration, marketing and communications. The Mechanical department is responsible for chassis and suspension, aerodynamics, steering assembly, wheel assembly and brake assembly of the vehicle. The Electrical department is divided into three streams: Powertrain, Safety & Control and Compliance & Documentation. The Vehicle Integration department ensures the synergy between electrical and mechanical departments. The communications department is responsible for the content put out by the team on social media; photography, videography and graphic designing is their main domain. Aside from approaching sponsors, the marketing department also works in coordination with the communications department to come up with an effective communications strategy. Decisions on which events to organize and take part in are taken by this department.
The activities of all the departments are coordinated by the team manager, who handles the communication with the administration of the university as well as all external relations of the team.
What are your objectives for this year’s competition?
We’ll be ecstatic with a finish in the top 30, since this is our first participation in FSUK. We’ve also set our sights on quite a few awards:
- Class 1 Best Newcomer
- Carroll Smith Shield Class 1 Design Winner
- Spirit of FS
- Breakthrough
- Most Effective Communications Strategy
- Class 1 Best Business Presentation
- Class 1 Best Cost Manufacturing
- Best High Voltage Powertrain Implementation
This seems a lot but we’re driven by challenges more than anything else! The enormity of the task keeps us going. We aim to make this FS season our first in which we make it to the endurance run.
How close are you to finishing your car?
Our car is currently in the final stages of the assembly phase and hopefully we will be able to begin testing by mid-March, so we have some time for testing. The team works everyday according to a pre-planned schedule. The new car is nothing like our 2016 design, with a lot of changes being implemented this year.
How does your team organise your workload?
Weekly team and department meetings are held to ensure all work is reviewed and new targets set. Work begins after classes in the afternoon and sometimes carries on well into the night! Our hierarchy is such that the team is divided into departments which are further split into smaller sub-teams consisting of members with specific responsibilities. Members have to possess knowledge about the entire vehicle and extensive expertise in their respective sub-systems, while tasks related to marketing and communications are handed out evenly to department members, with department directors responsible for coordination and planning.
What is new and exciting for your team in 2018?
In 2016, we had Bank Alfalah as exclusive sponsor of the team. A TV Commercial was also made about our team and the success story of becoming Pakistan's only EV formula student team.
For the 2017-2018 season we’ve got several sponsors on board: Faizan Steel as our Platinum sponsor; Suzuki as our Silver sponsor; General Tyre and Rubber Company as our Bronze sponsor. We also have a food sponsor this year: Burger Lab, which has made our evenings much more enjoyable! Boundless Technology is our proud Technological sponsor plus we have Pakistan's biggest telecom company , Ufone, as our telecom partner.Moreover, HANDS is our community service partner. We have also been supported by our country's Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Zafar Mahmood Abassi NI (M) whom we are really thankful for his kind support.
This year, the team has committed to fulfilling its social responsibility. We have partnered with Women Engineers Pakistan for a campaign on Women Empowerment. The gender gap in engineering fields, at least in Pakistan, is quite apparent; that’s something we want to address. We’re trying to set an example and encourage women who are interested in engineering but might be hesitant to join. We are partnering with Make A Wish Foundation in fulfilling the wishes of children who need happiness.
What have been your biggest challenges this year and how have you overcome these?
Quite a few of our senior members who are in leading positions in the team are graduating, so one of the biggest challenges we are facing this year is to look for and train their replacements, making sure senior members transfer not only their engineering knowledge, but also their leadership and management skills.
What made you join Formula Student?
It's one of the biggest student motorsport competitions in the world. As engineering undergraduates, we feel it gives us the best kind of insight into the practical side of engineering. Pakistan is largely underrepresented in this competition; especially in the EV category. That is the biggest reason we want to participate in Formula Student.
What’s your proudest moment at Formula Student?
Our proudest moment was not when we got the 4th position in the Cost event in FSAE Electric 2016; it wasn’t when we were all around the media as Pakistan’s first formula electric team. It was when our first car came to life, powered on its own for the very first time. It was at that moment that we realized the reward of team work and dedication lies in the feeling of accomplishment and not some numbers that define your vehicle. It was also the moment we achieved what we had set out to prove: that a FS electric car can be made in Pakistan. The team had faced a lot of criticism and issues up to that point: rejections, obstacles, financial constraints. That moment was worth all the hardship.
The President of Pakistan Mr Mamnoon Hussain unveils their first EV car
What advice would you give for fellow teams?
Our advice is nothing but a reminder of the ultimate purpose of engineering: innovation. We don't just make a car and get it on to the track. We strive to learn and we strive to engineer things to perfection. Along the way, we must enjoy every moment: the journey matters more than the destination and you have to love what you do to be the best.
How can we keep up to date with you?
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/formulae.racing.nust/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/formulaelectricracing/?hl=en
Twitter: https://twitter.com/formulaenust
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/15074842/
We look forward to welcoming Formula Electric Racing to their first FSUK and seeing how well they compare with other Electric Vehicle teams at Silverstone!
(Photos kindly provided by Formula Electric Racing NUST)
Want to get your team featured by Formula Student in the run up to Silverstone?
Get in touch with Chris Smout to get the conversation going!