Electric Sports Car Designed and Built by Students From Singapore
Fancy an electric sports car designed and made entirely by students from Singapore that could potentially give commercial sports vehicles a run for their money?
From left: Joel Yong, Year 3 student, LASALLE BA (Hons) Product Design; Nicholas Ooi, Lecturer, LASALLE BA (Hons) Product Design; Namjot Kaur, Year 2 student, LASALLE BA (Hons) Product Design; Choong Yu Haun, Year 2 student, LASALLE BA (Hons) Product Design; Nathan Yong, Programme Leader, LASALLE BA (Hons) Product Design; Professor Lim Seh Chun, Advisor, Special Projects, SUTD; Liew Zhen Hui, Senior Specialist, Fabrication Laboratory, SUTD.
The first such collaboration between LASALLE College of the Arts (LASALLE) and the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD) is attempting to revolutionise electric vehicle design. Combining engineering excellence and design innovation, this joint effort has produced a cutting-edge electric vehicle prototype, which is being exhibited at LASALLE College of the Arts, as part of Singapore Design Week.
Led by Nathan Yong, Programme Leader, BA (Hons) Product Design at LASALLE and President’s Design Award winner, three LASALLE BA (Hons) Product Design students — Choong Yu Haun, Namjot Kaur and Joel Yong — worked with SUTD’s Electric Vehicle Club (EV Club) to design the body shell of the vehicle, demonstrating how electric vehicle design has the potential to evoke emotions through the discipline of product design.
Using 3D printing technology and drawing inspiration from the intricate and efficient forms found in insects, the innovative design of the body shell displays speed and agility, and creates a new benchmark for future electric vehicles. The joint project also represents a significant step forward in sustainable transportation design, reflecting the students’ commitment to environmental responsibility and technological advancement.
Prototype of the electric sports car body designed by LASALLE students, which drew inspiration from the intricate and efficient forms found in insects.
"We had to take some significant considerations when designing, like factoring weight and supporting structures to the chassis designed and built by students from the SUTD EV Club. 3D printing polylactide (PLA) is very heavy compared to other types of plastic manufacturing methods like plastic injection molding and vacuum forming. Hence, we have to design panels to create the illusion of a greater volume in the body and also change the design of some parts of the body for greater structural stability and strength," said Choong Yu Haun, Year 2 student from LASALLE’s BA (Hons) Product Design programme.
"Working with SUTD was enlightening as they offered a collaborative environment, access to cutting edge resources, and knowledge that would be helpful for researching new concepts and pushing the envelope of what is possible. The initial design process was heavily influenced by SUTD's advice and recommendations based on their technical expertise and research. Due to the cross-disciplinary nature of automotive design and engineering, there were also opportunities for information exchange and learning in a collaborative atmosphere," said Namjot Kaur, Year 2 student from LASALLE’s BA (Hons) Product Design programme.
"This is the first time LASALLE and SUTD have collaborated, and it has been a very fruitful experience for our students. Bringing together the human-centric design approach of LASALLE Product Design and the engineering expertise from SUTD enabled us to create an electric vehicle that is not just efficient in its performance, but also something desirable that fires up our love for motor engineering," said Nathan Yong, Programme Leader, BA (Hons) Product Design, LASALLE.
The electric vehicle chasis was originally conceived as an educational platfrom for SUTD students.
"I am happy for the opportunity to collaborate with LASALLE on this project. This electric sports car (named Project Electric Vehicle by Additive Manufacturing, or Project EVAM) was originally conceived as an educational platform to help SUTD students, starting with those from the SUTD EV Club, build confidence in their ability to design anything, even something as complex as a full-size electric vehicle. There is great synergy between SUTD’s engineering expertise and LASALLE’s aesthetic design prowess. And I’m proud of the product ‘TITHONUS’ that was borne from the hard work of all the students involved," said SUTD’s Prof Lim Seh Chun, who heads this project.
The TITHONUS design by LASALLE students is based off the open-top tandem two-seater electric sports car designed and built by SUTD students. This lightweight chassis houses a quad-motor electric powertrain, which is capable of short 2-second bursts of up to 1,000Nm of torque. It has double-wishbone suspension all around, and 18-inch wheels regulated by disc brakes.