The new model of the student formula CTU.26, created by the student team eForce Prague Formula, is significantly lighter, faster and structurally more robust than last year's CTU.25 car and also has a different cooling system. The student team that worked on it consists of about a hundred students, mainly from the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Mechanical Engineering of the Czech Technical University in Prague. The CTU.26 model of a single-seater racing car with an open cabin, the so-called monopost, was presented by the student team today at the Prague Planetarium, the CTU said in a press release.
The new formula is ten kilograms lighter than the previous model. The team achieved this by using new types of carbon fiber materials, tuning the design and drawing inspiration from current industry trends and experience from previous developments. “The wing is ten centimeters lower, but the biggest change in lightening compared to last year is in the monocoque, whose weight has decreased by two kilograms. The current monocoque is more durable and complex, as it consists of more aerodynamic elements and technological gadgets,” described Marko Matoničkin, a student in the Cybernetics and Robotics program at the Faculty of Electrical Engineering.
A monocoque is a structural system in which the outer shell carries most or all of the load, similar to an eggshell. Its entire structure is designed to withstand both tension and pressure, which ensures its extraordinary strength while maintaining low weight.
Another significant change compared to last year’s model is the change in the cooling system. The CTU.26 has air cooling on the front engines, while the CTU.25 had water. “One entire water circuit has been eliminated. In last year’s formula, it was left and right, now it is only the rear. So we have one less pump, there is no water, which leads to another significant lightening,” said Matoničkin. On the other hand, the current system is less efficient, so the team had to work more with thermal simulation to cool the engines.
In 2027, the eForce Prague Formula students are planning to launch a completely new car in concept. “The CTU.26 is the last model of the current generation,” said Matoničkin. The team has already started working on its concept in order to have as much time as possible for its development.
In one generation of the formula, the team usually only lightens and optimizes some of its parts, only monocoques are newly developed. However, the formula for the following year will be created from scratch. “We sat down over a blank sheet of paper and started thinking about what could be fitted together so that it would be more efficient than the previous concept from the very beginning,” summarized Matoničkin.
The eForce Prague Formula team has four races to look forward to this year from July to September, in Most, Spain, Germany and Italy.
Approximately 800 university teams participate in the Formula Student design competition for students of technical universities every year. Their task is to design, manufacture and test a single-seater car in a race within one year. Not only speed is assessed, but also design, budget planning and marketing plan development.