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The new “HofSpannung” racing car: On the hunt for success with “Artemis”!

If that’s not a claim: “Artemis”, the Greek goddess of the hunt, is the namesake for the new e-racing car of the HofSpannung Motorsport e.V. association, which will soon be taking part in the international Formula Student racing series for Hof University. The student initiative presented the racing car at a rollout in front of over 120 guests at the Einstein 1 start-up centre. “campuls-digital” now had the opportunity to talk to Niklas Kurth, the first chairman of HofSpannung, about the latest masterpiece.

The HofSpannung e.V. association presented its new e-racing car model; Image: Hof University of Applied Sciences;

Mr Kurth, the rollout went well. Are you satisfied?

“Of course. The whole team is delighted that our new car is finished and will soon be able to take part in its first races. It’s impossible to really estimate how many hours of work went into the car beforehand. In any case, it’s a good feeling that the construction is now complete.”

What distinguishes the model from its predecessor, what are the key improvements?

“Of course, we always aim to benefit from our experience with the previous model and find even better solutions two years later. In this case, Artemis offers a more compact design and a lower weight than “Clyde”, its predecessor. We have also tried to improve the aerodynamic efficiency and use a higher electrical voltage and a larger battery. The battery is no longer installed above the cockpit, but above the underbody. A stabiliser and an improved battery management system have also been integrated into the design. Instead of classic wheel bolts, Artemis uses a “centre lock”, which means that the wheel is no longer fastened with 4 bolts, but is mounted to the wheel hub with a central nut. The use of a fail-safe vehicle software language should also be mentioned. In general, we have used even more components developed in-house for this model.”

Where will the car celebrate its racing premiere and what dates are generally scheduled as part of Formula Student?

“The first event will be in Croatia soon and then we’ll be travelling to Italy with the first results and findings in our luggage. Of course we’re looking forward to that. But before that, we will make extensive use of the infrastructure at our Hof-Plauen airport and complete many test drives there.”

What are the next tasks for the HofSpannung Motorport e.V team?

“The work in this area doesn’t stop, of course. The next steps are to document the assemblies and set the driving parameters – i.e. the inverter and motor as well as the chassis and aerodynamics. Brake function and aerodynamics must also be validated and documented during such a restart.”

That sounds like a huge amount of work again. How many people are actively involved in development in total?

“Our team consists of around 25 people, and we are divided into further sub-teams. These consist of the mechanical, electrical, IT and management sub-areas. As an association, we currently have more than 100 members – including many who built cars at Hof University of Applied Sciences before us.”

Does this mean that you don’t necessarily have to be an engineer to join HofSpannung?

“No, absolutely not. We are always looking for people in completely different positions and in completely different fields. Both classic technical roles in the areas of mechanics, electrics and IT as well as management positions, which include sponsorship advertising and support, event planning or the creation of a business plan.”

We wish you every success for the first races and hope you continue to enjoy your design work! Thank you very much for the interview.

Rainer Krauß

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