Students Place in Competition with Laird's RAMP Modules

In August 2013, Laird donated RAMP modules to students from Brazil’s Federal University of Santa Catarina (UFSC) for use in an electric car student project. The college students built UFSC’s first electric car and competed in competitions in the latter months of 2013. One event, Formula SAE, is an engineering competition organized by the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) with the objective to design and construct single seat formula type vehicles. Teams from seven Brazilian states – Santa Catarina, Bahia, Sao Paulo, Rio Grande do Sul, Minas Gerais, Parana, and Maranhão competed in three different categories: Ethanol, Gasoline, and Electric. Students participating in Formula SAE have a great opportunity to apply the theoretical knowledge from the classroom in real world settings. Over the course of three days, the teams not only competed on the track but were also evaluated on presentations of engineering design, marketing, and overall cost. Laird supplied the UFSC team with RAMP RM024 modules, which the team used to relay telemetry information from the car.  The long range, low latency, and low power consumption of the RM024 helped the team compete for best energy consumption for formula type cars. Weighing a minimum of 50 kilos, the cars raced at speeds of 25 kilometers per hour or more. The UFSC Formula team placed third with their electrical car MILIWATT.

Videos that showcase the preparation of the 2013 Formula SAE electric car are available here.

Visit Laird’s RAMP ISM Modules product page for more information.