E3 UFSC breaks Latin American record in Shell Eco-marathon Brazil
- Alvaro Filho
- Oct 11, 2024
- 5 min read
Team competed in the electric battery prototype category
E3 UFSC (UFSC Energy Efficiency Team) set a new Latin American record at the Shell Eco-marathon Brazil 2024, reaching 381 km/kWh with its electric battery prototype. This result was achieved in collaboration with CAEXPERTS and Siemens Digital Industries Software, which plays a key role in the success of teams like E3 UFSC, offering a full range of software focused on design, simulation, and analysis. CAEXPERTS provided support and training, and together with Siemens enabled the E3 UFSC team to access tools such as NX, Simcenter STAR-CCM+, Simcenter 3D, and Solid Edge, which are essential to optimize the performance of the ultra-efficient prototype developed by the team.
E3 UFSC was founded in 2009 with the mission of developing prototypes of ultra-efficient vehicles, focused on sustainable solutions. The team is composed of 28 members from various courses at the Federal University of Santa Catarina, covering areas such as mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, control and automation engineering, as well as disciplines such as pharmacy and geography, reflecting the interdisciplinary and collaborative nature of the group.
In addition, the team has achieved notable results in previous competitions, such as 1st place in the Shell Eco-marathon Brasil 2017 (petrol category), with a record of 525.7 km/L and 1st place in the Decarbonasing the Home challenge in 2021.
Actively participating in the Shell Eco-marathon, the team is dedicated to building vehicles designed to maximize energy efficiency, setting new standards in the competition. The main objective of the E3 UFSC prototypes is to minimize energy consumption, demonstrating that it is possible to combine performance and sustainability in innovative solutions.
With an eye on the future, the team plans to participate in the Shell Eco-marathon Americas and develop new projects, with a focus on building an ultra-efficient urban vehicle. Innovation in energy efficiency and sustainability continues to be the main focus of E3 UFSC, which seeks to push its own limits with each new competition.
The SIEMENS, CAEXPERTS and E3 UFSC Partnership
CAEXPERTS not only provided the software, but also provided in-depth technical training and ongoing support. This included assistance with complex simulations and providing strategic knowledge to optimize results. With CAEXPERTS' expertise, E3 UFSC was able to seamlessly integrate simulations into its design process, creating predictive models to understand how parts would behave under competition conditions. The team is in a constant state of evolution and improvement, always seeking to innovate in different areas of the project. Simulations are a crucial part of this journey, allowing E3 UFSC to optimize its designs based on accurate data and predict vehicle performance in different situations, which directly contributed to the record achievement.
Emerald Prototype
Thanks to this collaboration between CAEXPERTS and Siemens, E3 UFSC is not only able to carry out faster and more accurate simulations and tests, but also continually improve its designs, ensuring that the prototype is always optimized for the extreme conditions of the competition.
The Shell Eco-marathon Competition
The Shell Eco-marathon is a global competition that challenges university students to design, build and operate vehicles that are as energy efficient as possible. The goal is simple but challenging: to create a car that travels the longest distance possible using the least amount of energy. This includes using conventional fuels such as gasoline, but also alternative sources such as electric batteries and hydrogen.
The competition originated in 1939 in Shell's laboratories in the United States, starting as a bet between scientists on who could achieve the greatest fuel efficiency in their experiments. However, the modern form of the competition was officially created in 1985 in France, and has since expanded to various regions of the world, including Europe, the Americas and Asia.
There are two main categories:
Prototype: Ultralight vehicles, with a design focused exclusively on maximizing energy efficiency, reducing friction and weight to the extreme.
Urban Concept: Cars designed to look more like street vehicles, but with sustainable technologies and a focus on efficiency.
The competition takes place annually and involves rigorous technical inspection phases, where the cars are evaluated in terms of safety, design and compliance with the rules. Only after they have been approved can the vehicles be tested on the track. The competition is not based on speed, but on energy efficiency, with teams aiming to cover the maximum distance with the least amount of fuel or energy.
Currently, E3 UFSC competes only in the Battery Electric Prototype category, where it has already achieved remarkable results. However, the team has plans to expand into the Urban Concept category in the future, developing an ultra-efficient vehicle for this class.
E3 UFSC wins Shell Eco-marathon 2024
E3 UFSC achieved an impressive milestone at the Shell Eco-marathon Brasil 2024, setting a new South American record for energy efficiency. Competing in the Electric Battery Prototype category, the team achieved the 381 km/kWh mark, which represents a remarkable feat in terms of efficiency. To give you an idea, this distance is equivalent to traveling more than 3,000 km with just one liter of gasoline, consolidating the team's excellent technical performance.
This achievement was the result of hard and innovative work by the team, which modified around 80% of the vehicle compared to previous versions. The main changes include:
The implementation of a new transmission system, allowing greater energy conservation during vehicle operation.
The development of carbon fiber wheels, designed and manufactured by the team members themselves, which drastically reduced the weight of the vehicle and improved its aerodynamics.
A new drive and controller system, which was essential to optimize the use of electrical energy during the route.
Changes to the monocoque improving aerodynamics and reducing weight, optimized in CFD.
These innovations were tested and optimized using Siemens simulation tools, which allowed the team to perform detailed analyses of different scenarios and refine the prototype design to maximize its efficiency. NX is widely used for CAD modeling, allowing the team to explore different geometries and adjust the vehicle design to maximize aerodynamic and structural efficiency. Simcenter STAR-CCM+ enables computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations, which are essential for developing the vehicle’s aerodynamics and thermal control.
These tools not only accelerate the development cycle, but also enable high-fidelity analysis that would be impossible without the use of predictive simulations.
The Future
The partnership between E3 UFSC and CAEXPERTS is increasingly promising, with the prospect of continued growth and development of new projects. With the constant support of CAEXPERTS, the E3 team is in a state of continuous improvement, always looking for ways to innovate in the design and efficiency of its prototypes. In addition, E3 plans to expand its operations, especially with the development of a vehicle for the Urban category of the Shell Eco-marathon.
Sapphire Urban Prototype
The partnership with E3 UFSC reflects this dedication to continuous innovation and the development of young engineers. By supporting the team with the most advanced simulation and design tools, Siemens and CAEXPERTS are empowering future professionals to solve engineering challenges with agility and precision. This commitment is not limited to technical support, but also extends to knowledge transfer and preparing students for the job market, as already seen in other successful partnerships with Formula Student teams and other academic competitions.
WhatsApp: +55 (48) 988144798
E-mail: contato@caexperts.com.br
Comentarios