Draft:Ashwa Racing

Formula Student

Formula Student (also known as Formula SAE in the United States) is an international engineering design competition organised by the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) and IMechE, among other bodies.^[3] Student teams design, build, test, and race a small formula-style single-seater car, evaluated across static events (Engineering Design, Cost and Manufacturing, Business Plan Presentation) and dynamic events (acceleration, skid pad, autocross, endurance).

RV College of Engineering

R.V. College of Engineering is an autonomous engineering institution in Bengaluru, Karnataka, affiliated with Visvesvaraya Technological University.^[4] It is among the leading technical institutions in South India and hosts several student technical teams across motorsport, robotics, and rocketry.

Founding (2003)

On 22 November 2003, four final-year students from the Department of Mechanical Engineering at RVCE met at the college's on-campus coffee shop and conceived the idea of forming a Formula SAE racing team—among the first in India.^[5] The founding members, led by Arunraj Subbaraj, set out to address the gap in motorsport engineering education in India through an industry-institute partnership model.^[6]

The initial estimated budget was approximately ₹22,00,000. Sponsorship drives proved difficult at first, and the founders personally contributed funds to build a working prototype. The team was structured from the outset along corporate lines, with sub-teams for administration, sponsorship, finance, engineering, logistics, and workshop management. The car model was initially named RVIANZ before being shortened to RZ.

Early competitions (2005–2012)

The team's first prototype, the RZ05, was completed in 2005 and became the first student-built Formula Student vehicle from Asia to compete at Formula SAE Australasia in Australia.^[7] It won both the Best Endeavour Award and the Best Cost Award.^{[citation needed]}

The RZ-06 (2006) was the first student-built racing car to use a carbon fibre-reinforced steel frame, fabricated in collaboration with Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL). It incorporated a re-programmable ECU, a 3D-printed intake manifold, and components from OEM partners including BBS, Hoosier, and MoTeC, as well as a Torsen limited-slip differential. It won the Best Asian Entry award at Formula SAE Australasia 2006.^{[citation needed]}

In 2007, the team competed at Formula Student Germany, winning the Young Achiever Award from Rotary International.^[8] In 2009–2011, the team competed at Formula SAE Italy, winning the Best Endeavour Award (2009) and the Best Asian Car award (2010, 2011). The 2012 prototype RZX2 placed second in the Cost Event and the team was named Best Asian Team.^{[citation needed]}

During this period, Ashwa Racing was consistently ranked the number-one Formula Student team in India and placed within the top 15 percent of international teams in static events.^[9]

Hiatus and restructuring (2013)

The team took a deliberate break in 2013 to reassess its direction and prepare for a planned expansion into hybrid and electric powertrains.

Diversification into hybrid and electric (2014–2018)

Ashwa Racing returned in 2014 with the RZX4 combustion prototype and simultaneously began hybrid development, making it one of the first Indian Formula Student teams to pursue hybrid powertrain engineering.^[10]

In 2015, the team launched the RZX5 combustion prototype and its first hybrid prototype — the RZX5H — marking the transition from pure combustion to a hybrid architecture integrating a 75-cell lithium-ion battery pack. The RZX5H debuted at Formula Hybrid in New Hampshire, USA, placing in the top ten overall — the team's first international hybrid result.

The 2016 hybrid prototype, RZX6H, introduced lean manufacturing optimisations and weight reduction (280 kg, 70 hp). The team finished 4th overall at Formula Hybrid USA and placed 2nd in both the Design Event and Project Management.

The 2017 season was a turning point. The RZX7H — a performance-optimised hybrid platform with a 0–100 km/h time of 4.05 s — finished 2nd overall at Formula Hybrid USA, the team's first hybrid podium. It also won 1st in Acceleration (Electric class), and placed 2nd in Autocross, Endurance, and Project Management.

2018 was the most significant year in the team's history to that point. The combustion prototype set a new national acceleration record at Formula Bharat, completing the 0–75 m sprint in 4.29 seconds.^{[citation needed]} The RZX8H hybrid prototype (300 kg, 73 hp) again placed 2nd overall at Formula Hybrid USA, scoring 2nd in Design (183.24/200), 2nd in Project Management (144.29/150), 2nd in Acceleration, and 2nd in Endurance.^[11] The team also launched its first fully electric prototype in January 2018, becoming the first and only Indian Formula Student team to design, fabricate, and test prototypes across all three powertrain categories simultaneously.^[12][13]

2019 and the pandemic years (2019–2021)

The 2019 hybrid prototype (300 kg, 73 hp, 100 km/h top speed) finished 3rd overall at Formula Hybrid USA, scoring 1st in Project Management with a perfect score of 150/150 and 2nd in Design (184.62/200).^[14]

In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic forced Formula Hybrid + Electric (FH+E, as the competition was renamed that year) to move to a virtual format, with static events conducted via video conferencing from April to June.^[15] Ashwa Racing won 1st place in the Hybrid Category at the virtual 2020 FH+E competition.^[16] The chief judge of the Project Plan Presentations noted that the team had developed "a good action plan with a heavy focus on reliability" and "an interesting organisational approach in which technical and managerial responsibilities were distributed across groups within the 23-person team."^[17]

In 2021, with in-person events again not possible, Ashwa Racing won 1st place in the Hybrid Category for the second consecutive year at FH+E 2021.^[18] The Issuu newsletter of Ashwa Mobility Foundation notes that the 2021 parallel hybrid architecture — the first departure from the series hybrid design — achieved a 10% improvement in efficiency over previous platforms.^[19]

Recent activity (2022–present)

Following the return to in-person competition in 2022, Ashwa Racing continued developing its electric programme alongside ongoing combustion work. The team broadened its scope under the Ashwa Mobility Foundation to include MotoStudent (motorcycle design), open-source vehicle (OSV) concepts, and hyperloop technology.

At the European Hyperloop Week 2024, held in Zürich from 15 to 21 July 2024 at Switzerland Innovation Park Zürich,^[20] the Ashwa Mobility Foundation hyperloop team unveiled its first hyperloop prototype, competing alongside over 26 teams from universities worldwide.

At Formula Bharat 2025, the combustion prototype RZ-XX5C was among only four teams to complete all dynamic events, and the team finished 2nd in the Cost and Manufacturing event.^[21]

At Formula Bharat 2026, the combustion prototype RZ-XX6C finished 6th overall, with a top 5 result in Engineering Design and 2nd place in Business Plan Presentation.^[22]

Combustion prototypes

Ashwa Racing has produced more than 15 combustion prototypes since 2005, all designated with the RZ prefix.

Hybrid prototypes

The hybrid programme began in 2014 using a Bajaj Pulsar DTS-i 220 cc single-cylinder engine paired with a lithium-ion battery pack. From 2015, a series of purpose-built hybrid prototypes competed at Formula Hybrid in New Hampshire, USA. In 2021 the team transitioned to a parallel hybrid architecture, achieving a 10% improvement in efficiency over the previous series hybrid platform.^[23]

Electric prototypes

The first fully electric prototype was publicly launched in January 2018, making Ashwa Racing the first and, at the time, only Indian Formula Student team to operate vehicles in all three powertrain categories.^[24] The current electric prototype is powered by an Emrax 208 motor with a custom-built high-voltage accumulator. All power electronics — including the motor controller, Battery Management System (BMS), and vehicle control units — are developed in-house. The combustion and electric vehicles share a common modular low-voltage electronics architecture, with all PCBs designed, assembled, and tested in-house.