RLS Encoders Power UniBo Motorsport's Electric Formula Student Prototype

The team

UniBo Motorsport is the racing team of the University of Bologna, involving over 300 students from various faculties in the design, manufacturing, assembly, testing, and optimization of an Electric formula-style single-seater, a Hybrid formula-style single-seater, and an Electric motorcycle, going on to compete worldwide against top universities in the international Formula Student and MotoStudent championships.

An ambitious project

The team's electric project began in 2019, not as a standalone program, but by adapting previous solutions to integrate an electric powertrain onto chassis originally conceived for internal combustion engines. Following the victory in Spain in 2024, the 24-25 season marked the beginning of a new development cycle with the purpose of redesigning the entire vehicle from a clean sheet of paper, guided by an in-depth technical and financial assessment developed over the previous five years. The goal was clear: lay solid foundations for the years ahead and close the performance gap with the top teams. The result was a concentration of simultaneous innovations, from the debut of all-wheel drive to the new high-voltage battery pack, alongside dedicated inverters, a redesigned liquid cooling system, a chassis optimized for torsional stiffness and packaging, and suspension kinematics engineered to work in synergy with the aerodynamics.

However, such ambition comes with a series of critical challenges and sleepless nights, beginning with financial constraints caused by the shortfall of funds budgeted during the planning phase. On top of this budget contraction came compressed timelines, which through numerous delays, shattered deadlines and wiped out any margin for track testing. This relentless workload inevitably stoked stress and tensions within the team, making internal cohesion and team morale the most demanding and quietest challenge of the entire season.

The start of the partnership

UniBo Motorsport chose RLS encoders because they integrated seamlessly into our wheel assemblies thanks to their ease of use and installation, alongside qualities such as accuracy and precision. Specifically, we use the RM44SI encoders for the Field-Oriented Control (FOC) of our internal permanent magnet synchronous motors. The team's extensive experience with this encoder series over many years enabled smooth integration despite the architecture overhaul carried out during the recently concluded season, which featured new inverters and redesigned wheel hubs.

RM44SI encoder installed on the wheel assembly

An intense season

At Formula Student Alpe Adria in Croatia the road was intense and tortuous, as it was the first race of a car completely redesigned & produced from scratch. We had some difficulties during the technical inspections, which led us to run FWD instead of AWD. This made the first few days fraught with anxiety and tension, but they subsided once we managed to finish the Endurance in 8th with great pace and concluding 10° overall out of 50 teams.

Additionally, we were awarded in the Rimac Challenges organized by the competition, where we analyzed and innovated the interior and exterior design of luxury cars, earning us first place in both.

The season concluded at our home race at Formula ATA in Varano with the great achievement of having restored AWD and the potential of the car. We ended the race week with a 3° place in Endurance, 4° place in the Overall Electric classification, 2° in both the Cost Report Driverless and the Business Plan Driverless. A result that closes our season in the best possible way and confirms the continuous progress of the team.

UniBo Motorsport celebrating the season's results

These achievements are the result of constant teamwork and have allowed us to learn even more about the car's potential, preparing us for the qualitative leap we want to make this year.

What comes next

The team's goal for next year is to establish itself as a top team and prove that this year's achievements were not simply a matter of luck, but the result of constant hard work, dedication, and the support of partnerships like this one. These collaborations enable the team to overcome challenges, face difficulties head-on, and continue pushing innovation towards success on track.