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Do you want to build the next generation electric superbike?

A well functioning student team requires people of all disciplines. For optimal efficiency, everyone has a role within the team. These roles are divided into the subteams described below. Do you want to sign up, or do you just want to express your interest in joining the team? Fill in the completely non-commital application form below and we will get back to you soon!

Management

The management sub-team is responsible for a good result after a year of hard work. This team needs to acquire partnerships with companies in order to provide the technical team with enough cash flow and parts to make a racing bike and make sure everyone is on schedule. Next to that, management decides the direction the team is heading and which races to join. (Management is fulltime only)

Team manager

As a team manager you oversee the whole process. Together with the chiefs and other people from the management you secure the planning and progress and you look for solutions to problems. You are also the face of the team and you will regularly get in contact with the press or major partners of the team. As a team manager you have to have a clear vision for the team and be able to look forward for possibilities and big opportunities.

Technical manager

The technical manager is responsible for the technical development of the superbike. You have to coordinate the communication between the powertrain and the chassis team, which is essential in a multidisciplinary team. You also have to oversee the technical planning and progress of the development. You have to have a broad overview and a wide systems view.

External relations

As a student team we have some great partners which allow us to do wonderful things like building this bike. You are responsible for keeping in touch with and expanding our portfolio of partners.

Finance

A small business like a student team needs a good administration, so the finance has to be in order. You manage the budgets and oversee the major cash flow in the team.

Operations

A smooth operation requires everyone to be able to focus on their tasks and have a pleasant work environment. As operations you improve the workshop, make sure the van runs and the engineers have all the tools they need to do their job.

Marketing

The marketing sub-team shares our mission with the world. As part of the marketing team you will manage our social media channels, make sure everything looks amazing by designing our graphics, and organize events to promote our mission.

Social media

Building the superbike is one thing, telling our story to the world another. You can start social media challenges, make weekly vlogs, whatever makes our online brand stronger and gets our message across: the floor is yours! You also make sure our newsletter is delivered every month.

Graphic design

You are working on our graphic design of on- and offline media. This includes promotional material, like flyers, posters and banners, but also graphic design for the superbike and merchandise. In addition to that, we also have a website which has to be updated very regularly.

Events

Electric Superbike Twente organizes several events throughout the year. You are responsible for making sure these events go as planned. Examples of yearly events are: technical presentation, superbike reveal, partner day, new team days. However you are encouraged to come up with new exciting events during the year!

Powertrain

The powertrain sub-team is responsible for delivering a lot of brute power to our rear wheel. Our powertrain team is unique in the way that it designs and manufactures a lot of electric systems themselves, instead of buying them from manufacturers!

Chief powertrain

As chief powertrain you are responsible for the whole electronics department. You make the important decisions concerning the electrical systems and you keep an eye on the planning you made. Also you’re in touch with the companies that support our team on the electronical side.

Battery (Management System) engineer

The behaviour of the battery cells needs to be monitored and managed at all times. As battery (managament system) engineer you are not only responsible for putting together the battery pack with the best cells possible, but also for making sure the cells behave the way that is most feasible and efficient.

Software engineer

As a software engineer you’re working on the battery management system or the custom ECU. These components need programming, in order to communicate with all the different systems. As a software engineer you need to have a broad overview of all the electrical systems and allow the superbike to have maximum power. Another topic of interest is wireless communication, via Bluetooth to our Bluetooth network, or via radio to the pitbox. The programming is done in C++ through embedded systems.

Inverter engineer

In our current superbikes we use a standard motor controller: the Bamocar D3. This controler is delivering a maximum amount of kW with a certain efficiency. Next year, a big challenge is creating a better, higher-power and more efficient motor controller in collaboration with an electric motor. Another challenge is integrating the design of the inverter with the complete superbike, which saves al lot of space and weight. This will require a lot of cooperation with the other engineers.

Data acquisition

All the electronical data that has been collected by the powertrain team has to be centralized and put into order to be analyzed. You are also responsible for analyzing the data of all current superbikes, which is really valuable for improving the next generation motorcycle of your team.

Chassis

The chassis sub-team makes sure the power created by the powertrain team gets to the track properly. Designing a racing bike chassis is a fine art, which is a defined by lots of testing and trying out. All parts have to be designed in a way that is both strong and lightweight.

Chief chassis

As chief chassis you are responsible for the whole design of the chassis. This includes all components like the frame, swingarm, electric motor housing, aerodynamics and the battery construction. It is essential that you have a broad systems view, due to all the interactions between the components. You have to factor in weight, dimensions, regulations and ease of use. You are also responsible for the communication with the different companies that produce the components and help us with our problems.

Frame engineer

The frame is the main component of the motorcycle, this will keep all the components in place and has to comply with the many specifications that will make a racing motorcycle ride like it should. Lots of concepts and simulations have to be run in order to create a frame that will be both functional and light, but also ridable and strong. Material knowledge and knowledge of production methods is key in this area.

Motor construction engineer

Previous years, our partners did the motor design and our task was to create a housing that was able to water cool the motor and keep it in its place. You are going to look into different production methods that will allow the motor to be lighter and stronger. Also different state of the art motor designs, like axial flux or PMAC, have to be evaluated. A lot of communication with the electrical engineers is key.

Swingarm engineer

In addition to the frame, the swingarm is crucial to the handling of the superbike. Again this part has to be simulated a lot in order to gain the right amount of flex and stiffness. As done in the MotoGP, experiments can be done with different materials and different designs, for example with carbon fiber swingarms.

Battery construction engineer

Essential in an electric motorcycle is the battery pack. There are many ways to implement the battery pack in the motorcycle, one could choose to make the system modular or to integrate the design in the frame.

Bodywork (aerodynamics) engineer

Although a motorcycle is known to be not really aerodynamic, playing with the airflow around will be a major improvement to the overall efficiency of the vehicle. This should allow the vehicle to have a higher top speed and better acceleration. As in MotoGP, another component that has to be analyzed is the use and effect of downforce in motorcycles. Last but not least, the appearance is also important, since we’re trying to show that sustainability is really cool!

Application form

Note: We can only accept students from the University of Twente or Saxion Hogeschool Enschede!