Fast and Sustainable, a Perfect Match with Fuga Cloud

Fuga Cloud stands for speed, technology, and sustainability. When we were asked if we wanted to sponsor a student project for building an electric car, we were immediately enthusiastic.

From this Greenpower Benelux project, several teams in the Benelux receive a frame, an electric motor, and wheels. Each team receives the same materials and must assemble the car themselves. The goal of this project is to make your car the fastest. You do this by making the car as streamlined as possible. We took a look at the third-year students from the Technical Business Administration programme at Horizon College in Alkmaar to ask some questions about this project and what makes their car so special.

At first, the students lacked real control, as they essentially had a throttle that could only be fully open or completely closed. Therefore, a special throttle pedal was made for this car. This allows the driver to better control the throttle in corners. The horn was broken during the build, so a new one had to be installed.

Lightweight

The final race will take place in Belgium. Initially, Team Horizon College had appointed the smallest boy in the group to drive the race, thinking ‘the lighter, the faster’. During the race, each team must provide 3 drivers. This is to spread your chances during the race. They switch during a pit stop. Thus, the plan to have a light driver was abandoned.

The name of the car is Dibugandachi, which literally translates to ‘the enemy dares not bite’ in Chinese. This name is displayed as a logo on the car with the Latin phrase above it, meaning ‘winning is more important than participating’.
Since the car is not approved by the RDW, it is not allowed on public roads. Therefore, the test drives are conducted through the corridors of the Horizon College building. The cool design is derived from the Lightyear One car as seen in the photo.

Clay Prototype

The boys worked with a self-made clay prototype and used a self-made wind tunnel to see, using smoke, where the air got trapped. With small adjustments to the clay prototype, they could easily fine-tune the car and scale this up with a 3D printer.

We wish the students success with the further construction and the upcoming races!