Winning Teams use MATLAB and Simulink in Formula Student

See how ETH Zurich, placed 1st in FSE Class at FSG, used MATLAB and Simulink for a competitive advantage in Formula Student.

Philipp Föhn and Fabrice Oehler from AMZ Racing Team joined Christoph Hahn from MathWorks to explain the fundamentals of Lap Time Simulation. 

Currently ranked first on the Formula Student Electric world ranking, the AMZ Racing Team presents their successful car "Grimsel", which won three out of four events last season. One reason for this success is the Lap Time Simulation, which they use for concept decisions and prediction of energy usage during races.

The approach, presented by Philipp and Fabrice, is based on a two-track model, which relies on measured tire data.  For Formula Student teams, measurements for many tires can be obtained from the Tire Test Consortium (TTC) for a one-off fee. 

The software demo gives you detailed insight into the AMZ approach, which is implemented in Simulink and runs example simulations. The results, obtained from the simulation, can be validated in different ways. For example, the velocity plot displays the velocity over the track, or the energy usage, during an endurance race.

Philipp and Fabrice explained how to use simulated results from the Lap Time Simulation to improve the concept of a Formula Student car and also when a trade-off between different characteristics of the car had to be made.