Teamwork makes the dream work.

Our Team

Departments

Meet our new team, consisting of 29 motivated students from various engineering backgrounds. Together we will keep exploring the limits of our electric and driverless cars!

Management

The management team consists of our Team Manager, Chief Electronics, Chief Mechanics, Head of Marketing and Head of Driverless respectively. These five gentlemen make sure the team sticks to its busy schedule and keep an oversight of all activities in their departments.

Composites

From the monocoque to the smallest winglet on the car. Everything made out of carbon fibre passes through the composite department. A team of 5 young engineers will focus on improving and extending the aerodynamics of the car whilst keeping an eye on the R&D of next year’s car. The goal of an aero package is to create downforce so that a higher cornering speed could be achieved. However, effects such as drag need to be minimized. To come up with innovative solutions for these problems, specialized software is used to increase the performance and efficiency of this package.

Vehicle Dynamics

The vehicle dynamics department consists of four motivated electro-mechanical engineers (Wouter, Mathijs, Remko and John respectively). We do everything that has something to do with the movement of the vehicle on track. This includes the design and implementation of the hardware such as steering, suspension, pedal box,… As well as the software and simulations regarding the optimization of the suspension setup, torque vectoring, traction control, semi active suspension,… This year we focus on optimizing the suspension setup of our latest car as well as some further research into the latest additions to our suspension such as the inerter, a new torque vectoring algorithm and the active dampers.

Powertrain

The drivetrain consists of all the mechanical components that make the vehicle move. This includes gearboxes, electric motors, wheels and cooling systems. This department has been constantly seeking innovative solutions to transfer the power of the four electric motors to the ground through the planetary gearboxes and wheels. These innovations have resulted in the fantastic results of 2019 such as our fifth place in acceleration on FSG. This year Thomas and Lukas want to achieve even better results with a new wheel design, new battery pack and new integrated cooling system. Using simulations and test data they will keep striving for lighter and more efficient designs.

Electronics & Driverless

Electronics, the black magic department. This contains all the parts that you can’t see, but are crucial for a great car. All sensors, motors, and safety systems will be designed and maintained by Wouter B, Wouter H, and Nicolas. The focus of this year is a new ECU and a new battery pack.

On the driverless side, we will focus on validation of our algorithms, and do further research on data segmentation of Lidar data and dynamic controls using Artificial intelligence. They will not work alone, 4 thesis students will help with this challenge.

Research & Development

These thesis students help us with research in each department. Thanks to them we can evaluate which parts, algorithms, materials,… we will use in our future cars. Research and development is a very important aspect of motorsport, especially in formula student competitions.

Team Members

Management

The Formula Student Competitions are more than a race, they are a challenge. Building an entirely new racecar with a team of students is an incredible achievement. That is why I am very proud to be part of this amazing team. Watching our team grow from just a group of students to a group of friends who all did their part in building a cutting edge racing machine, makes this project all the more worth it.
After working on the drivetrain of the car last year, I’ll be taking on a new challenge as this year’s team manager, which I am very excited about. I’m looking forward to the upcoming year and hope to achieve some great results together with the team.

Ever since I was young I was captivated by cars and that interest has stuck with me until today, gradually learning more and more what goes into a car. That interest has grown today to an interest in car design, the innovative technologies used in them and a passion for the entirety of the automotive industry. Consequently, this also includes an interest in the rise of electric cars and how they are developed.

Although I love the sound of a roaring V12 engine I do believe the future lies within electric cars. This is the reason why I joined Formula Electric Belgium, to experience firsthand what it is like to develop an electric race car.

This year I am the Head of Marketing of the team. Keeping an overview of all marketing activities such as Business & Public Relations, events and recruitment are part of my daily job. Furthermore, I support the Vehicle Dynamics Department on the side with the semi-active suspension system that I developed last year. On top of that, I will be doing my thesis with the team around the topic of Active Roll Control.
In my spare time, I like to play the guitar and go to the gym. I also like to travel and explore the world.

Since my first year of studying engineering I knew I wanted to join Formula Electric Belgium. The connection between theory and practice is something perfect for a graduating engineering student. On the other hand, mechanics and technology is something that drives me.

I am the chief engineer of mechanics this year which gives me a lot of responsibility. Does everything fit? Is someone able to produce it? Is everything within our scheme? I most certainly like this function because I will get to know the car through and through rather than focus on one component in specific. I am sure that with the current team we will be able to achieve great things!
This year I will also write my thesis together with Ward L. about laser hardening certain gears in our drivetrain.

As an aspiring engineer, I like the challenge that the Formula Electric Belgium team sets. Not only on a technical level but also when it comes to developing soft skills and working in a team where we the students have to take care of every aspect of managing a team ourselves.

This year I will be responsible for all the electronics inside the car. I’ll be maintaining the high voltage systems, sensors, safety systems and designing the electronics of a new battery and ECU.

I like to spend my free time with friends and family.

As a Formula 1 enthusiast, I’m thrilled to be able to join Formula Electric Belgium. Combined with my passion for AI and autonomous systems, the driverless car is the ultimate challenge. As the head of the driverless division, I will be working on bringing all the algorithms together and testing them thoroughly in simulation and on our car.

Sadly I’m too tall and heavy to drive our car, that’s why I spend more time than others in our simulator. Try to beat my time if you are up for the challenge 😉

Electronics

This year I will be responsible for all the electronics inside the car. I’ll be maintaining the high voltage systems, sensors, safety systems and designing the electronics of a new battery and ECU.

I like to spend my free time with friends and family.

Vehicle Dynamics

This year I am the head of the vehicle dynamics department. We do everything that has something to do with the dynamics of the vehicle. This includes the design and implementation of the hardware such as steering, suspension, pedal box, … As well as the software and simulations regarding the optimization of the suspension setup, torque vectoring, traction control, semi active suspension, …

The first time I went to a racetrack I fell in love with motorsport and it became a dream of mine to one day be part of a team and to bring my contribution to making the car as fast as possible. Because of my interest in mechanics and motorsport, I started my studies to become an Automotive Engineer. Being part of Formula Electric Belgium was for me the greatest opportunity to make this childhood dream come true. I also joined Formula Electric Belgium to bring my studies into practice and to grow further into the automotive world.

Following the motto “a healthy mind in a healthy body”, I can be found jogging or mountain biking at the weekends.

When I was younger, I always wanted to know how every machine worked. Most of the time you could find me outside, trying to take all kinds of things apart and studying the mechanisms inside. This interest about mechanical machines grew to a fascination about cars, especially the ones from F1. It has always been a dream to once work on a car like this, and thanks to the team I can finally make this dream come true. Formula Electric Belgium is the perfect opportunity to use my theoretical skills I gained form my studies Mechanical Engineering at the KU Leuven.

This year, I will not only take things apart like I used to do, but I will now work hard to make them better. I will do this in the Vehicle Dynamics Department. We have to design and implement systems
like the steering, suspension and pedal box. Trying to optimize all of these components is a lot of work, but definitely something I will enjoy doing.

My motivation to become an engineer is not far-fetched if you know my childhood. Very soon I was assembling, and mostly disassembling things. When I was 12, I got an old Peugeot 103 Vogue from my uncle. This led to a lifelong passion for cars and motorcycles. In the meantime I graduated as an Engineer and gained some practical experience with my motorcycles and oldtimer.

First, I graduated the professional bachelor, then did the switching program and graduated last summer in Automotive Engineering. During this five-year period I learned a lot, but I joined Formula Electric Belgium to learn how to use this knowledge in practise. Besides that, Formula will teach me hard and soft skills for my future career in the automotive world.

Because of my interest in kinematic systems, I will be part of this years vehicle dynamics department. I will be responsible for the steering of the car and implementing the semi-active suspension. Once the car is capable of driving, I start to validate and optimize the suspension system on the basis of simulations.

Since the first time I saw the Formula Electric Belgium car on campus, I was captivated by the stunning beauty of it and was intrigued by the mechanical design of its open suspension. From that moment, I knew I would love to contribute to improve the car. During my studies, my interest in vehicle dynamics only grew more. This combined with my passion for racing, cars and racing cars (obviously) made the perfect excuse to join the team and to write my thesis on active roll control.

In my spare time, I love to go for a swim, hike and go out to eat some delicious food, or to watch motorsports all day.

Innovative technology on wheels is my passion, that’s why I joined the Formula Electric Belgium team this year as a thesis student.
Together with my colleagues, I will be working on the implementation of a semi-active suspension system with an inerter. Our ultimate goal is optimising the race car’s handling using state-of the art technology.
Joining the Formula Electric team is one step closer to a successful career in the automotive engineering industry.

As a thesis student I will be researching the implementation of an inerter in a semi-active suspension setup. Together with very skilled and motivated colleagues we aim to improve the vehicle one engineering solution at a time. I am grateful to be able to participate in such an interesting environment, creating skills that will be needed for a career in the automotive industry.

Composites

Unlike all of my teammates, my love for motorsport didn’t start with cars. It started with motorcycles. From an early age I was surrounded by motorcycles because my parents and my uncles drove them and it didn’t take long for me to catch the virus as well. But it wasn’t until my 16th birthday that I started to drive my moped and I haven’t stopped since, going through the licences step by step. I’ve gotten my curiosity from my mom and my mechanical skills from my dad which combined perfectly in my education up to this point and my job at Triple One. Here I’m a mechanic on the CN-prototypes of Norma.

I came to know Formula Electric Belgium from a job fair in Ghent and the idea that engineering students designed a full electric racecar had blown my mind. I participate in this program as head of composites because of the different challenges that occur. The prospect of working in a highly dynamic environment challenges me to not only grow my technical skills but also my entrepreneurial capabilities and thus becoming a more complete engineer.

Ever since I was a kid, I have been a car enthusiast and passionate about aviation. Always with a certain curiosity to find out what drives these ingenious machines. My interest for everything concerning cars made the choice to join the Formula Electric Belgium-team evident. This interest combined with the knowledge I acquired as an engineering student will form the foundation to further develop my practical skills in a professional environment. I’m really looking forward to face the challenges this project will bring along and to solve them together as one. It will be something special for sure to see a car rising up from scratch. Together with 3 colleagues, I will focus on the aerodynamics of this year’s car.

Since I was a kid, I was fascinated by everything that had wheels and engines. Over the years this interest expanded to racing, Formule 1 and other racing categories.
At secondary school I became more interested in mechanics and electricity. When my studies continued, I became more fascinated in the team and the competition of Formula Electric Belgium. This interest grew when I visited the digital roll out of the car. In this presentation I saw the new innovations and technologies that are used for cars to make them better and faster.
So my dream to work, build and develop a racecar is possible because this opportunity has been given to me.

This year I am part of the composites department, where I will be working on the aerodynamics of the car by designing the diffuser and undertray of the car.

I combine my studies with regular based sports like kayak, cycling and sometimes fitness.

For as long as I can remember I have been involved in Motorsports. Since the age of four I’ve been watching my father race at circuits, and at the age of six I got involved in karting myself. I currently express my passion for this sport through the restoration of my rally car from 1973. Whilst restoring this car, it’s become obvious that I want to combine my passion for racing and my career. Thanks to Formula Electric Belgium I’m one step closer to completing this childhood dream.

I’m part of the department of composites and will work on designing a new aerodynamic package for the car. Why aerodynamics? Well, which car guy doesn’t like a big wing on a car? But also because I am a sailor, a sport in which wind is used to move itself by means of a sail and where the hull of the boat must cut through the water as efficiently as possible. My position as an aerodynamics engineer allows me to effectively combine my interest in both worlds.

From a young age, I was interested in motorsport. It all started by going to see races at the circuit of Zolder with my father. When I grew up, this passion grew over the years.

Joining a racing team was a long-time dream and after completing my thesis with Formula
Electric Belgium, I did not hesitate to apply for a role in the R&D department.

This year I will be working on the sidepod area of the car and I enjoy putting all my energy in a great design. I’m fascinated by all of the aspects of race car design and I’m eager to learn as much as I can. Next to develop myself it is also important to learn to work together and be part of a high-performance team, this project gives me the best opportunity to learn both.

In my spare time, I enjoy playing different sports like tennis, fitness, going for a quick run and sometimes karting.

Powertrain

Ever since I was young I have been interested in technology.
As a child, I spent many hours with my grandfather in the garage, where I helped him with all his projects.
From then on, this interest has never left me.
At the moment I’m in the master year of my studies as an industrial engineer in automation and I’m writing my thesis for Formula Electric Belgium.
The Formula Student competition is a very innovative environment that will undoubtedly leave me with many skills.
I myself am very competitive and am very happy to be able to contribute to this ambitious team.

Formula Electric Belgium gives me the opportunity to put all my academic knowledge to the test and use it to create something really cool. Simultaneously creating the possibility to develop soft skills in a professional setting is just an invaluable experience.
Designing the powertrain, the beating heart of the car, is quite a responsibility. However, being surrounded by a team of people just as motivated as me, this responsibility only pushes me to strive for perfection.

Vehicles like cars, tractors and trucks have always interested me, as a child I often played with race cars, excavators and trucks. This interest has developed more and more over the past 10 years. I am very fascinated by all the technologies used in vehicles. Especially the mechanically ingenious mechanisms found in cars fascinate me. This is one of the reasons why I am studying industrial engineering. In my opinion, this training does not sufficiently focus on the practical aspect, i.e. translating the theory into practice. Formula Electric Belgium is the best solution for this. This year I will redesign the cooling system of the battery, drives and motors. In addition, I am responsible for the optimal functioning of the drivetrain components.

I’m a thesis student working on Torque Vectoring. I didn’t have an education in automotive, but that makes it all the more interesting for an engineer in electromechanics in the making. I’ve always wanted to know what is inside the formula electric racecar. Since electric motors offer more advantages then internal combustion engines, it is interesting to take a closer look at the two and that is perfectly possible in the FEB team. I have gained a lot of theoretical knowledge during my training and now I will be able to apply my knowledge in a practical way. That will be a nice challenge. Because I was active as a youth leader in the chiro for several years, I am motivated to work in a committed team.

My main focus this year will be on the concept of anti-slip regulation, an algorithm that aims, among other things, to get the racing car to its optimal speed as quickly as possible in a controlled way.

Driverless

Sadly I’m too tall and heavy to drive our car, that’s why I spend more time than others in our simulator. Try to beat my time if you are up for the challenge 😉

Teamwork makes the dream work.

Our Team

Departments

Management

Composites

Vehicle Dynamics

Powertrain

Electronics & Driverless

Research & Development

Team Members

Management

Ward Lenaerts

John Herinckx

Bart Tyskens

Wouter Burns

Wouter Heerwegh

Electronics

Wouter Burns

Nicolas Philips

Vehicle Dynamics

Wouter De Man

Remko Schippers

Mathijs Goris

Matthias Fonteyn

Andreas Monsieur

Aaron Dirix

Benedict Conings

Hugo De Jong

Composites

Jan Bruneel

Ward Hofkens

Robbe Van Gestel

Jean-Laurent Dirix

Viktor Valckenaers

Nordin Jansen

Simon Willems

Powertrain

Wout Foqué

Thomas Goossens

Lukas Puffet

Kobe Van Doren

Driverless

Wouter Heerwegh

Rusty Ngobila

Robbe Abts

Alec De Keyser

Joppe Leers

Marketing