Cerber Motorsport students build new Formula Student CMS-09 hybrid car

The Cerber Motorsport team operating as part of the Auto-Moto-Club Student Scientific Circle operates at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering of Bialystok University of Technology. Students from the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and the Faculty of Computer Science design and build the new CMS-09 car, which will compete with teams from around the world.

– In order to construct cars, passion is needed, technical knowledge and creativity need to be constantly supplemented, but technical, substantive and financial support is also required – reminds Assoc. Prof. Marta Kosior-Kazberuk, DSc, PhD, Eng, Rector of Bialystok University of Technology. – I would like to thank the voivodeship authorities, the city authorities and our industrial partners for their technical and financial support of the activities of our scientific circle. We believe that such an individualised approach to education, enabling students to freely choose topics for implementation, works well for future engineers. I thank the students for this passion, for this commitment that results in success on the international stage in the Formula Student competition and I believe that this new car will also be a great success and will make our university famous.

It will be the first hybrid car in the history of Bialystok University of Technology. The electronics department of the Cerber Motorsport team dealt with the implementation of the hybrid drive.

– We chose the motors and their drivers – says Bartosz Siłkowski, student of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering at Bialystok University of Technology and a leader of the Cerber Motorsport team. – We designed a planetary gearbox that fits in a 10-inch rim, which was quite a challenge for us. We changed the gearshift system – we gave up the pneumatic system, we designed a new, even faster electronic system.

But these are not the only changes that will distinguish the CMS-09 hybrid car from its predecessors.

– Our “chassis” is a hybrid construction for the fifth time, which consists of a monocoque and a steel spatial frame in which the engine is located – says Siłkowski. – We have shortened the wheelbase of the car, which is to move to increase its agility when cornering. The new ergonomics will keep the driver safe and comfortable.

– The elements of our car that are most striking are the extensive aerodynamic package – adds Kacper Stasiewicz, a student of the Faculty of Electrical Engineering at Bialystok University of Technology. – This season, the department closely related to composites focused on development in the areas of the front wing and the side floor. We improved the flow of air reaching the radiator, which is to result in even lower temperatures during engine operation.  

The CMS-09 car will receive a suspension with optimised geometry for two configurations: with and without a hybrid drive.

– We focused on improving the transfer of loads between the wheels and the implementation of electronically controlled distribution of braking forces – explains Bartosz Siłkowski. – This season, the power unit department focused on optimising the cooling system. In place of the two coolers located on both sides of the monocoque, there was one larger cooler. This shortened the ducts and made it possible to install the exhaust system in the side section. The changes positively influenced the distribution of masses. We have modified the geometry of the lubrication system to increase efficiency and reduce weight.

It should be remembered that every car that students construct is not only a set of elements: screws, carbon fibre and steel, but above all the people who build it. The team consists of 30 people, gathered in six departments: Superstructure, Aerodynamics, Suspension, Drive Unit, Electronics and Marketing.

The Cerber Motorsport team has just completed the six-month design phase and has moved on to the production of car components, which will last until June. Then countless hours of testing on the tracks and dynamometer await the team, in search of the perfect “set-up” of the car. In the season, the team plans to compete in four series of competitions: in Austria, Hungary, the Czech Republic and Poland. It will start his first competition on July 29.

Their efforts are supported by local governments – voivodeship and the City of Białystok, as well as numerous companies.

– I cannot imagine the Podlaskie Voivodeship not participating in such a project – says Artur Kosicki, PhD, Marshal of the Podlaskie Voivodeship. – I sincerely congratulate the students on the idea and performance, because you show that in Formula Student you are the best of the best when it comes to our country, but you also prove that Bialystok University of Technology has great scientific potential. You reconcile passion with science, which also translates into the promotion of our region. This bison from the voivodeship logo will be visible not only in Poland, but also abroad. I would like to thank all private partners very much. Without their involvement, this project would not exist. You engage your resources and your companies in such projects and we can jointly show the potential of Bialystok University of Technology not only in Poland but also around the world.

Students’ trips have been supported by the City of Białystok for several years.

– We, as the City of Białystok, support this project primarily because it shows that we have very creative young people in our city at our universities in Białystok, and that it is worth tying your future to Białystok by studying here and later working – declares Rafał Rudnicki, Deputy President of Białystok. – We have been involved in this project for many, many years. It is worth supporting it precisely in order to promote the City of Białystok as an excellent place to live, but also an excellent place to study. As the City of Białystok, we support a number of university projects that build the image of Białystok as a city that is a good place to study, a good place for all those who decide at a certain age what to do after secondary school. We show that it is worth not leaving Bialystok but studying here, at our universities, for example at Bialystok University of Technology, because it creates excellent opportunities for professional and scientific development and development related to the future. Also thanks to cooperation with commercial entities that we have managed to convince that it is worth being present in this type of project.

Students of Bialystok University of Technology not only learn to design and build cars, but also to establish lasting relationships with the socio-economic environment. Metal-Fach Sp. z.o. is the key sponsor of the team. For many years, the company has been providing and preparing the material needed to make welding stations for self-supporting structure elements, suspension and aerodynamics. In addition, Metal-Fach covers the costs of importing hard-to-reach material for the construction of the rear frame, which is a part of the hybrid self-supporting structure.

– We have been associated with Bialystok University of Technology in various types of projects for a very long time, and we have been associated with Formula Student at Bialystok University of Technology since the first car – reminds Janusz Kaźmierowski, Vice President of the Management Board of Metal-Fach Sp. z o.o. – We try to support and help students, some of them from these teams of constructors also found employment in our company. We know that the participation of students in this type of projects is something different, it is teamwork, group work that develops your skills. Materials such as molybdenum-chromium steel, which is very difficult to get, are a find for students.

The structures of car construction go hand in hand with new technologies. Technology Applied Sp. z o.o. is a company with which the team has only been cooperating for a few years. However, the support received, from the very beginning of the cooperation, is one of the main pillars of each subsequent car. A company with a wide range of 3D printing technology implements the ideas and projects of team members by making elements in SLS technology. Printed components are elements of the intake, fuel, cooling, lubrication system and are part of the battery pack in the latest car.

– Once again, we are a sponsor of this unique project, which is a racing car – says Paulina Sumkowska from Technology Applied Sp. z o.o. – 3D printing creates great opportunities and has many advantages compared to other technologies. It is customisation, unlimited shapes and geometries that can be printed. We are happy to support young people – their education and development. Our sponsorship results from the belief that modern innovative technologies are a key tool for achieving success.

In 2023, the Cerber Motorsport team won the Formula Student Poland competition. Earlier, it took 1st place in the general classification of Formula Student Romania! In 2022, the CMS-08 car achieved a historic result in the final ranking, getting 4th position in Formula Student Germany.

As the first Polish team, Cerber Motorsport stood on the podium of the Formula SAE Italy competition in 2016.

The Cerber Motorsport team, which operates as part of the Auto-Moto-Club Student Research Circle at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering of Bialystok University of Technology, consists of students from the Faculty of Mechanical, the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and the Faculty of Computer Science of Bialystok University of Technology.

The team’s supervisors are: Jarosław Czaban, PhD, Eng and Piotr Tarasiuk, PhD, Eng from the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering of Bialystok University of Technology.

Their efforts are supported by local governments – voivodeship and the City of Białystok, as well as numerous companies.

by jd