NUS Unveils the R22e: A Lightning‑Fast Formula SAE Car
Picture a bunch of brilliant, coffee‑schmoozing engineering students, a dream of speed, and one cockpit‑ready project: the R22e. That’s the story you get when a group of dedicated students high‑fives innovation and decides to turn it into a Formula SAE race car. No, we’re not talking about a fancy two‑seat coupe; this is a raw, garage‑born machine built to dominate the track and let folks ask, “What’s that super‑speed machine?”
Who’s Behind the Wheels?
- National University of Singapore (NUS) undergrads – the engineers, builders, and occasional adrenaline junkies.
- Senior Minister of State for Finance & Transport, Mr. Chee Hong Tat – the Guest of Honour on June 28.
- Team “R22e” – the name that sounds like a rocket and a racing line all rolled into one.
Secrets of the Success
Why the R22e is not just a pretty face on the track? Because these students bring international pedigree:
- They’ve been competing in Formula SAE Michigan – a legit inter‑varsity showdown with nearly 150 universities vying for glory.
- Consistently cracking the top 20 spots. That’s no joke; you’re looking at the cream of the crop.
- Two‑years of “no‑go” due to the pandemic; the team got hold of the ambition and kept the wheels turning even when the podium was off‑limits.
New Territory, New Lessons
The R22e isn’t just another car; it’s a testament to resilience. They bounced back after a pandemic hiatus, learning to tweak chassis, powertrains, and aerodynamics faster than a speeding bullet. In short, NUS proved that when you combine fresh ideas with hands‑on engineering, the result—fast enough to make a LMP car look like a pedestrian—hits the track with drama.
What’s Next?
We’ll keep an eye on the next race, but one thing’s crystal clear: whether it’s a competition or a campus showcase, the R22e is racing into hearts and headlines alike.
2021 R21: The Final Gas-Powered Formula SAE Showdown
Even as the pandemic rumbled through, the student engineers kept hammering at their Formula SAE dreams. 2021 marked the last hurrah for the team to ride on an internal combustion engine before they went fully electric next year.
Why 2021 was the last gas-powered lap
- A 600cc motorcycle engine was the powerhouse, delivering 77 horsepower and 57 Nm of torque.
- A slick six-speed sequential gearbox—think of it as the Ferrari of the campus.
- Weight: 216.9 kg, light enough to make the seatbelt squeak.
- Acceleration: 0 to 100 km/h in just 4.7 seconds, turning the campus lane into a track.
- Power-to-weight ratio: 355 hp per tonne—a brag-worth performance spec.
Then came the electric pivot for 2022
The team decided to ditch the exhaust and embrace clean energy. The 2022 iteration would be electric‑powered, marking a huge shift in their engineering journey.
Meet the 2022 R22e: Power, Lightness, and a Dash of Glam
The R22e is the 2022 hero in the lineup, sporting an 80 kW (107 hp) electric motor that’s delivered straight to the rear wheels via a single‑speed chain drive. Its chassis tip‑to‑tail weighs just 208.2 kg, making it leaner than a post‑amy’s snack.
Torque That Packs a Punch
While the horsepower bump looks pared‑back, the torque up‑grades your ride to a whole new level. The R22e cranks out 230 Nm of torque – that’s a four‑fold upgrade over the R21’s figure. Think of it as swapping a tiny spoon for a robust ladle: suddenly everything feels a bit more powerful.
Lightweight, Fast, and Furious
- Weight‑to‑power ratio: 514 hp/tonne
- 0‑100 km/h sprint: 3.9 seconds
- Top speed: 125 km/h
That 514 hp/tonne ratio? It’s practically the same heart‑rate as the Bugatti Veyron’s 523 hp/tonne, a serious bragging right for anyone who loves speed without the scotch‑priced vibes.
Comparison Snapshot
R22e vs. R21:
- Torque: 230 Nm (R22e) vs. 57.5 Nm (R21)
- Speed: 125 km/h (R22e) vs. 93.8 km/h (R21)
- Acceleration: 3.9 s to 100 km/h (R22e) – faster than your favourite coffee’s brew time!
All in all, the 2022 R22e proves that a lighter frame and smarter torque can bring the fireworks to the track—without any of the drama typically associated with racing legends.
Meet the R22e: The Ultra‑Light, Ultra‑Carbon Prototype
What makes the R22e so baller? It’s a carbon‑fibre‑only masterpiece—every inch of the chassis is a single‑piece carbon monocoque that flexes at a jaw‑dropping 6222 Nm/degree torsional stiffness. Basically, the car is so rigid that it feels like a snow‑flake resisting the roar of a motorcycle.
How the Team Stayed Hot Under Pressure
When the pandemic hit, most racing projects went off the grid. Professor Seah Kar Heng, the mentor guiding NUS’s Formula SAE squad, confirms: “We didn’t pause. We kept building.” Even when the 2020‑21 seasons were canceled at Michigan, the students kept their hands busy, turning the campus workshop into a revolving factory of wheels, batteries and ECU tweaks.
The Big Switch: From Petrol to Electric
- For 20 years, NUS Formula SAE cars roared with internal combustion engines.
- Now, the R22e flips the script, hitting the road on electric power.
- Professor Seah stresses that this pivot isn’t just a ’fitness’ fad—it’s a necessary move to align with the planet’s climate reality.
Why It Matters
This isn’t just a one‑off tech showcase. The switch sends a bold signal to engineering students worldwide: being green and green‑good ain’t mutually exclusive. The R22e proves that cutting‑edge innovation can stay light, powerful, and respectful of our environment.
Supply Chain Shocks Mess Up NUS’s R22e
Hey fellow car enthusiasts, strap in for a quick blast of road‑worthy drama. The brilliant undergraduates at NUS, led by the go‑getter Motorist, were gearing up to swoop onto the Formula SAE Michigan pit lane with their shiny green machine, the R22e. But, as so often happens when you rely on a global network of outsourced parts, a series of supply‑chain hiccups threw a wrench into the whole plan.
Why the R22e Missed the Cut‑off
- Missing Parts: Key components—think the motor and battery that sit right under the hood—didn’t arrive on time. The delay was simply too big to ignore.
- Logistics Jitters: Even when the parts were available, shipping schedules turned into a game of Russian roulette.
- Ultimate Timing Issue: Because of these snags, the team hit the bureaucratic deadline hard, and NUS had to sit out the 2022 event.
Lessons Learned & Next‑Gen Plans
All is not bleak, though. The students have turned this setback into a learning opportunity. They’re packing every insight gained into the design of next year’s vehicle, which will aim to hit the 2023 Formula SAE Michigan track. What they’re planning?
- Streamlined Supply Chains: Connecting directly with suppliers to get a crystal‑clear picture of delivery timelines.
- Built‑In Flexibility: Designing the car so it can swap out parts without scrambling the whole blueprint.
- Redundant Stocks: Holding a few extra critical components on hand.
Stay tuned: this next‑generation R22e will be a real tear‑jerker of a machine, ready to blast past the competition in 2023. It’s a reminder that the road to racing glory is paved with both moments of triumph and the occasional pothole.
