What is the right turn to the future?
Looking back on our journey over the past year, it is clear that our team had to endure several challenges, as discussed in our previous article. Yet,despite these setbacks, we have made impressive strides in our mission to accelerate energy transition in the automotive industry. A recent highlight highlighting this progress was the premiere of our mini-documentary at our year-end event, where we showed our partners how far we have come and the incredible potential that lies ahead.
But this is only the beginning. Now we must ask ourselves: which turn should we take to go to the future?
Next steps: finalising the 4-minute battery
Currently, our immediate focus is on making our innovative in 4-minute charge time battery race-ready. This technology has the potential to drastically reduce charging times, making electric vehicles more practical, both for racing and everyday use. But it's not just about reducing charging times. While this will be an important milestone for our team, we need to look beyond this goal.
Keeping ahead of market trends
The electric vehicle industry is developing at lightning speed, and we need to keep up with that pace to maintain our lead. The question we constantly ask ourselves is: ‘How can we not only keep up with these trends, but also lead them?’
One way to stay ahead is to anticipate future market demand. While faster charging times are essential, we also need to explore how to increase battery capacity to extend range and develop advanced cell technologies to improve energy density. However, in doing so, we need to be able to ensure the durability of materials. Simply making our battery pack larger would have a negative impact on the required rare metals and energy consumption of the race car. Moreover, the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) and smart energy management systems could play a key role in the future of electric vehicles. Our vision is not limited to solving today's problems; we want to shape the future of electric mobility in a way that benefits both society and the racing industry.
Our long-term vision: the road to Le Mans
For us, Le Mans is more than just a race - it is a symbol of what is possible when innovation and passion come together. Participating at this level will not only validate our technology, but also demonstrate the potential of electric vehicles on a global stage.
Before we can take part in this race, there are still a number of important steps along the way: greater battery capacities, improved thermal management systems, and even faster charging times are essential to achieve this ambitious goal.
Shaping the future as a student team
As a group of highly motivated students, our contribution to the future of electric mobility is unique. We represent the next generation of engineers and innovators who are not bound by traditional industry practices or corporate constraints. This gives us the freedom to experiment, innovate, and develop ground-breaking solutions that established companies may not yet dare to explore.
Joining a student team means that our goal is not just commercial or immediate success of our technology; we are driven by our curiosity and desire to solve complex problems for the benefit of society. We see our work as contributing to a larger goal: helping the world move towards sustainable and environmentally friendly transport solutions. Moreover, as students on this team, we have the unique opportunity to learn a huge number of skills that we do not encounter during our studies, such as working together in multidisciplinary teams, project management and applying innovative techniques in practice. We also create friendships for life during this intensive collaboration, which makes our adventure even more valuable.
But we also realise that to make a lasting impact, we need to collaborate with industrial partners, institutions and so does the Brainport Eindhoven ecosystem. Together, we can take innovation further and ensure that electric vehicles are not only a viable alternative, but become the preferred choice for consumers and racers.
Looking ahead
The future holds exciting opportunities for InMotion and the electric vehicle industry. While challenges remain, we are confident that we will overcome them with the same determination and innovation that has characterised our journey so far. From completing the 4-minute battery to competing at Le Mans, our vision is ambitious but achievable.
We invite everyone who believes in the future of sustainable mobility to join us on this adventure so that together we can ensure that we take the right turns towards the future. Together, we can make electric vehicles faster, more efficient, and more accessible, ensuring a greener future for generations to come. If our articles have made you enthusiastic about InMotion, please do not hesitate to contact us at info@inmotion.tue.nl.