NCKU Racing, a student race-car team made up of NCKU students from different disciplines, completed their second self-made electric race car.

After entering their first model in the competition last year, NCKU Racing was registered to participate again this summer in the Formula SAE Japan, an international competition challenging students to design formula-style race cars. The team had a year-long plan to build the second car based on the knowledge they gained in school and the improvements gleaned from previous experience.

NCKU Racing's second electric race car is named CK02

“It’s all about a sense of honor,” revealed Chiao Guan-Wei, the captain of the team, when asked how the team regulates the members. The NCKU Racing team, though representing the university in the FSAE Japan, is registered as a students’ club after all and has no real authority to demand labor from its members. “Each team member recognizes that it’s our responsibility to contribute to the team and to work towards the common goal.”

One of the goals of NCKU Racing is to help its members “reignite their passion for their studies,” the captain pointed out. Building an electric race car is a challenging task since it involves complex knowledge. This prompts the members to put more effort into their class material because the courses provide them with training in important skills related to this goal. 

In addition to students majoring in fields related to engineering or mechanical science, students from other disciplines are also an essential part to the team. The SAE competitions require participating teams to have a functional structure similar to that of a commercial enterprise. Business students apply their expertise in helping manage NCKU Racing, including advertising and marketing.

Born from the concept of three enthusiastic sophomores, NCKU Racing has clearly been propelled forward by contributions from current students. Nevertheless, the support from NCKU alumni plays a big part in the team’s progress. Chiao Guan-Wei expressed his gratitude to these generous alumni. “When they learned that NCKU students were building an electric car, they did not hesitate to give us support.”

Many NCKU alumni now direct self-owned companies since graduating. The resources they are willing and able to provide for the current NCKU students are abundant and diverse. Chiao Guan-Wei said he personally felt that his identity as an NCKU student was rather valuable and advantageous in the process.

Unveiling Event for CK02

In an official post by the NCKU Racing page in April, the team announced their resolve to finish building the car even though the FSAE Japan 2020 was cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic. The team believed that only by going through with the process would there be practical experiences for the members to learn from and to pass down to future members.

With the support and encouragement from corporations and the school alike, NCKU Racing’s second electric race car, CK02, was completed in the summer of 2020. The Unveiling Event for CK02 was held on the afternoon of July 28th. (Writing by Hsu Tsu-yueh)
 

NCKU Racing hopes to pass down their passion and experience to future members