Subteams
Business
The business subteam functions as the fiduciary of the organization, securing funds through funding applications, outreach, sponsorships, and the development of an online storefront for merchandise sales. In addition to acting as a financial check for other subteams, the business team ensures responsible planning and the cultivation of strong partnerships to support the team’s progress and capital investments. By managing both external relationships and internal resource allocation, the subteam enables the organization to advance its roadmaps while exploring new opportunities for growth and engagement.
Driver Interface
Despite our best efforts, we still require a human to pilot the car… Our Driver Interface team is responsible for making sure the driver feels comfortable and is able to interact with the car in a consistent and controlled way. Anything the driver touches or interacts with to control the car mechanically—including the driver safety, ergonomics, steering wheel, pedal box, and brakes subsystems—is designed by us. With such wide ranging subsystems, we employ a variety of different skills and work with virtually every other subteam to ensure the human aspect of our design integrates seamlessly with the rest of the car. As we are continuously growing as a subteam, new members can look forward to participating in exciting new projects, such as designing a custom steering wheel, optimizing rotor temperatures, and improving ergonomic validation.
Aerodynamics
Aerodynamics seeks to harness the capabilities of the air in order to increase downforce, decrease drag, and improve beneficial airflow such that our car sees large upgrades in performance through minor additions in mass. Aerodynamic FSAE rules are generally very relaxed, specifying size, safety, and power constraints, meaning the configurations of aerodynamic components are theoretically endless. MK.X includes a front wing, rear wing, underbody, and bodywork, all of which are designed in SolidWorks CAD, simulated in Siemens Star-CCM+ CFD and Ansys FEA, and manufactured through Autodesk Fusion 360 CAM, carbon fiber layups, and in-house machining practices. All of this design, manufacturing, testing, and eventual practical validation comes together to create a lightweight, carbon fiber aero kit capable of generating considerable downforce with minimized weight and maximum efficiency.
High Voltage
The High Voltage subteam is responsible for all the cool zappy electronics and systems of the car! This encompasses everything from mapping out the topology of the tractive system to engineering PCBs such as a custom Battery Management System, Ready-to-Move light, or DCDC converters. The goal is to maximize simplicity and reliability so that all high voltage components can be integrated safely to the other systems and control units of the car. We also collaborate with Powertrain to make sure that the battery pack and tractive system designs are integrated with the rest of the systems and well contained. Since this is a new subteam, there is a lot of learning and optimizing going on with our systems, which provides new members and current members with the opportunity to expand their knowledge and orchestrate it to future cars.
Low Voltage
The Low Voltage subteam designs PCBs throughout the car from basic components. From solving electrical equations and simulating designs to assembling and testing boards, the team provides smart infrastructure throughout the car. The team designs the shutdown system for the car, an element vital to overall safety. Low Voltage also does the electrical design for the dashboard and vehicle control unit, which provide drivers control of the car and real-time responses from it. Low Voltage is also vitally important to our integration testing and mechanical optimization: dedicated data collection PCBs connect to the dashboard so telemetry can be used by the Vehicle Dynamics team to measure and optimize the vehicle's performance.
Marketing
The Marketing subteam oversees social media, merchandise, and livery, focusing on refining and elevating the Bruin Formula Racing brand to ensure consistent visibility and engagement across all platforms. Collaborating closely with directors and other subteam leads, we play a pivotal role in supporting the team’s non-technical efforts to build a strong and cohesive brand identity.
Chassis
The Chassis subteam is responsible for designing and building the frame that serves as the foundation of the FSAE vehicle. Our primary objective is to protect both the driver and critical components while providing a solid interface for all other subteams’ subsystems. We adhere closely to FSAE regulations and collaborate with other groups to ensure seamless integration of their components. To validate our designs, we conduct Finite Element Analysis (FEA) to evaluate strength and torsional stiffness, which is a key indicator of chassis performance. We also carry out testing and validation procedures to guarantee safety and reliability. Finally, our subteam oversees the manufacturing process, using both in-house and external resources to produce a high-quality chassis.
Vehicle Dynamics
The vehicle dynamics team is responsible for analyzing, determining, and modifying all vehicle parameters that affect car performance, ride, and handling. We work most closely with our sister subteams, suspension and chassis, to determine design philosophies and set important vehicle parameter targets after conducting various design iterations and model analyses. VD implements fundamental vehicle dynamics theory into building iterative investigations and intricate models to best understand and optimize our vehicle’s design. After modeling our vehicle, we test it in real life! Transitioning from the theoretical to the practical, the VD team becomes race engineers, conducting experimental testing, data acquisition, and vehicle tuning to validate our models and determine the optimal car configuration for competition. Overall, vehicle dynamics provides a versatile engineering experience by melding polar disciplines – mechanical and electrical, theory and testing, data and intuition.
Suspension
The suspension team is responsible for designing the physical suspension and steering systems of the car. They work closely with Vehicle Dynamics to hit performance targets and maximize handling. Suspension does extensive mass optimizations across all subsystems, while still ensuring the parts will withstand the loads produced from acceleration, cornering, and braking. The majority of suspension’s parts are machined in-house, which gives new members the opportunity to develop manufacturing skills and a better understanding of realistic design.
Drivetrain
The Drivetrain subteam is tasked with designing and optimizing the system responsible for transmitting power from the motor to the wheels, effectively making the car move. This critical system includes components such as the differential, chain, sprockets, half shafts, and any other mechanism involved in transferring rotational energy to the wheels. Our goal is to maximize power transmission efficiency, optimize top speed and torque with proper gearing, and ensure reliable performance throughout the vehicle’s operation. Through close collaboration with the Powertrain and Vehicle Dynamics teams, we refine the drivetrain’s design for minimal weight, maximum reliability, and optimal handling characteristics. Without us, the car would lack the essential mechanical link between the motor and the road, rendering it nothing more than a visually impressive chassis.
Wire Harness
The wire harness subteam works closely with Low Voltage, High Voltage, and Software to coordinate the integration of all electrical systems onboard the vehicle. The wire harness team will design and build all of the electrical harnesses onboard the vehicle according to system-level design requirements, ensuring the proper delivery of power, signal, and data throughout the vehicle. The wire harness team also extensively participates in troubleshooting electrical systems onboard the finished vehicle, assisting other teams with locating the source of individual component failures. If you are new to the electronics subteams, wire harness is a great starting point to familiarize yourself with Bruin Formula’s EV architecture.
Powertrain
The Powertrain subteam is responsible for everything mechanically related to power storage and delivery, ensuring the car's tractive system operates smoothly and efficiently. Our core components include the accumulator, which houses the batteries and their management systems; the inverter, which converts DC from the accumulator into the three-phase AC required by the motor; and the motor, which is essentially the engine of the vehicle. We’re responsible for the design, cooling, packaging, and structural integration of the accumulator, as well as the liquid cooling system for the motor and inverter. Beyond mechanical work, we collaborate closely with the High Voltage subteam to manage electrical integration both inside and outside the accumulator.New members can look forward to diving into hands-on design, thermal management, and integration challenges to optimize our electric vehicle’s performance.
Software
The software subteam is responsible for developing and maintaining the systems that enable the car to operate efficiently and reliably. This includes driving the car, logging performance data, and creating tools for data visualization. Key components include the Vehicle Control Unit (VCU), which manages torque control, regeneration, and safety checks, as well as the dash display, which logs and communicates sensor data. Our goal is to create a tunable and reliable system that minimizes performance issues and allows for real-time and post-race data analysis.