Driven to Win: Dynamis PRC ‘s 20 Years of Innovation

The 2023 Formula Student season marked the 20th year of activity for Dynamis PRC, the Formula Student team of Politecnico di Milano. The DP15 is the fourth electric vehicle produced by the team and the third to be equipped with a driverless system.

The goals for the season were clearly defined:

• Reduction in mass
• Enhanced reliability and diagnostic capability
• Increased testing, both on the bench and on the track

The most notable change was the transition from 13″ Pirelli to 10″ Hoosier tires, which aimed to enhance performance by increasing the forces exchanged between the tires and the ground, while also reducing weight. This, alongside many other modifications, enabled us to reduce the mass of the prototype by almost 20 kg.

Improving the reliability of the electronic system and enhancing diagnostic capability were two closely intertwined objectives. A more structured approach to code writing, coupled with advancements in our real-time radio telemetry, played a crucial role in achieving these goals, as did the extensive bench testing conducted using hardware-in-the-loop techniques. Additionally, we designed the team’s first-ever radio and Ethernet layout, implemented on the team’s smallest Vehicle Control Unit (VCU) board ever, produced by Eurocircuits.

The increase in reliability directly translated into more extensive track testing, which proved critical in extracting maximum performance from the car.

The race season presented significant challenges, with the team participating in four competitions, but the results were highly rewarding. We had a strong start in Switzerland, securing second place overall, including first place in the Business Plan and Cost Event. In Austria, we demonstrated the strength of our design, achieving good results in the dynamic events. We then proceeded to the Czech Republic for the first driverless competition of the season, where we achieved third place overall in the electric category and second overall in the driverless category, with first place in the Trackdrive event. We concluded our season in Germany, where we attained our first EV podium in a dynamic event, with second place in the EV Skidpad, and third place overall in the driverless category.

The progress made by the team has been remarkable, bringing us closer to the top teams. We are committed to closing this gap even further in the upcoming season, which will introduce significant innovations in the prototype, presenting new challenges to overcome.

For more information please visit the Dynamis PRC website.