Penn Electric Racing gears up for this years’ competition with an innovative new design

Penn Electric Racing, a team of about 60 students at the University of Pennsylvania, design and build electric cars to race in the Formula SAE Electric competition each year. Penn President Amy Gutmann paid the students a visit in their workshop to hear more about the club and its successes and congratulate the students on how far they’ve come.

In the basement of the Towne Building, Penn Electric Racing is putting together its newest car, REV4, in advance of this season’s competitions. The team is hoping to build on their sterling track record; their new design will be the first to have four-wheel drive, with motors in each of the car’s rims.

At Penn Today, Ali Sundermeir detailed the team’s new approach and the visit from a special guest: Penn President Amy Gutmann.

Imagine a future where electric cars rule the road, cutting emissions that contribute to both smog and climate change, simultaneously improving public health and shrinking ecological footprints. That’s the future that the Penn Electric Racing (PER) team of about 60 students at the University of Pennsylvania is striving toward when they design and build electric speedsters to race in the Formula SAE Electric competition in Lincoln, Neb., each year.

On April 26, Penn President Amy Gutmann paid the students a visit in their workshop to hear more about the club and its successes and congratulate the students on how far they’ve come. The students walked Gutmann through their design process and the anatomy of their team, showing her last year’s award-winning car as well as the framework for this year’s car, which features an innovative new design.

Continue reading at Penn Today.