{
    "title": "VUB Racing presents its new sustainable racing car",
    "modified_at": "2026-05-29 10:00:01",
    "published_at": "2026-05-29 10:00:00",
    "url": "https://press.vub.ac.be/vub-racing-presents-its-new-sustainable-racing-car",
    "short_url": "http://prez.ly/HBHd",
    "culture": "en",
    "language": "EN",
    "subtitle": "Pha\u00ebton is self-driving and radically ecological",
    "slug": "vub-racing-presents-its-new-sustainable-racing-car",
    "body": "\n    <figure\n        class=\"release-content-image release-content-image--contained release-content-image--align-center\"\n        data-component=\"image-zoom-popup\"\n        data-image-zoom-popup-selector=\".release-content-image__image\"\n        data-image-zoom-popup-i18n=\"data:application/json;base64,eyJEb3dubG9hZCI6IkRvd25sb2FkIn0=\"\n        data-image-zoom-popup-tracking-views-event=\"Story Image View\"\n        data-image-zoom-popup-tracking-download-event=\"Story Image Download\"\n        data-image-zoom-popup-placement=\"content\"\n    >\n        <div class=\"image-thumbnail-rollover\" style=\"width: 100%\">\n            <img\n                src=\"https://cdn.uc.assets.prezly.com/3903d81d-936b-4c91-8f7b-4ef014653645/-/resize/1200x/-/format/auto/\"\n                                    srcset=\"https://cdn.uc.assets.prezly.com/3903d81d-936b-4c91-8f7b-4ef014653645/-/resize/1200x/-/format/auto/ 1x, https://cdn.uc.assets.prezly.com/3903d81d-936b-4c91-8f7b-4ef014653645/-/resize/2400x/-/format/auto/ 2x\"\n                                class=\"release-content-image__image image-thumbnail-rollover__image\"\n                data-description=\"\"\n                id=\"image-3903d81d-936b-4c91-8f7b-4ef014653645\"\n                data-id=\"3903d81d-936b-4c91-8f7b-4ef014653645\"\n                data-original=\"https://cdn.uc.assets.prezly.com/3903d81d-936b-4c91-8f7b-4ef014653645/-/inline/no/2.jpeg\"\n                data-mfp-src=\"https://cdn.uc.assets.prezly.com/3903d81d-936b-4c91-8f7b-4ef014653645/-/resize/1200x/-/format/auto/\"\n                alt=\"Story image\"\n            />\n            <div class=\"image-thumbnail-rollover__caption\">\n                <svg class=\"icon icon-expand image-thumbnail-rollover__caption-icon\">\n                <use xlink:href=\"#icon-expand\"></use>\n            </svg>            </div>\n        </div>\n\n        <figcaption class=\"release-content-image__caption\"></figcaption>\n    </figure>\n<p><a href=\"https://vubracing.com/?utm_source=chatgpt.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">VUB Racing</a> students \u200b presented their new Formula Student race car &quot;Pha&euml;ton&quot; this week. The electric bolide was unveiled during the team&#039;s annual rollout and is due to compete in international Formula Student races in Germany and Switzerland this summer.</p><p>Pha&euml;ton is the latest prototype from the Vrije Universiteit Brussel student team, which has been fully committed to sustainable racing cars for several years. Like previous generations, the car combines electric propulsion with innovative materials and a distinct &quot;built, not bought&quot; philosophy: students design and build as many parts as possible themselves. &quot;We put a huge effort into our self-driving car this year,&quot; says team manager Mathias Van Hauwe. &quot;That paid off. For the first time we were able to make our car drive itself without a pilot, which is a huge achievement.&quot;</p><p>Notable is the thorough focus on sustainability. Whereas classic racing cars mainly use carbon fibre, VUB Racing deliberately opts for biocomposites based on flax fibres. According to the team, flax fibre production reduces CO\u2082 emissions by a factor of 37 compared to traditional carbon fibre. By combining those natural fibres with a bio-resin, the students developed composite parts with a significantly smaller carbon footprint. Those materials will be used in various parts of the car&#039;s aerodynamic components.</p><p>&quot;We believe that true sustainability goes beyond words alone,&quot; the team echoes. &quot;With our car, we want to show that high-performance engineering and sustainability can go perfectly well together.&quot;</p><p>The new race car was developed by a multidisciplinary student team with profiles from engineering, electronics, computer science, communications and economics. For months, the students worked on simulations, aerodynamics, electronics and the electric powertrain in the FabLab Brussels on the VUB campus, where they used 3D printers, CNC machines (a computer-controlled machine that can machine materials such as metal, wood, plastic or stone very precisely, among others. CNC stands for <em>Computer Numerical Control</em>) and laser cutters.</p><p>Formula Student is regarded worldwide as one of the most prestigious engineering competitions for students. Teams are judged not only on speed, but also on energy efficiency, innovation, engineering and the complete design of the car. With Pha&euml;ton, VUB Racing aims to impress internationally on the circuits of Germany and Switzerland next summer. &quot;Germany is the most prestigious race within our competition,&quot; Van Hauwe knows. &quot;We have worked hard to qualify for this, so we are extremely proud to be able to take part in this as a Brussels team.&quot;</p><p>More info:</p><p>vubracing@vub.be</p><div id=\"video-10308cef-537e-43bb-81e3-b29b46e14f79\" class=\"release-content-video release-content-video--embed release-content-video--contained\">\n    <div><div style=\"left: 0; width: 100%; height: 0; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%;\"><iframe data-iframely-url=\"https://iframely.net/api/iframe?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.uc.assets.prezly.com%2Fb5a7b02a-bc58-4e00-bef4-a0f39cd482a6%2F6.mp4%23_cb1779975635&key=8fe6cdec03482ac31f27a6ae8ea2fb3f\" style=\"top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; border: 0;\" allowfullscreen allow=\"encrypted-media *;\"></iframe></div></div><script async src=\"https://iframely.net/embed.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"></script>\n</div>\n    <figure\n        class=\"release-content-image release-content-image--contained release-content-image--align-center\"\n        data-component=\"image-zoom-popup\"\n        data-image-zoom-popup-selector=\".release-content-image__image\"\n        data-image-zoom-popup-i18n=\"data:application/json;base64,eyJEb3dubG9hZCI6IkRvd25sb2FkIn0=\"\n        data-image-zoom-popup-tracking-views-event=\"Story Image View\"\n        data-image-zoom-popup-tracking-download-event=\"Story Image Download\"\n        data-image-zoom-popup-placement=\"content\"\n    >\n        <div class=\"image-thumbnail-rollover\" style=\"width: 100%\">\n            <img\n                src=\"https://cdn.uc.assets.prezly.com/140d6178-7339-49a1-b535-e98c289967d9/-/resize/1200x/-/format/auto/\"\n                                    srcset=\"https://cdn.uc.assets.prezly.com/140d6178-7339-49a1-b535-e98c289967d9/-/resize/1200x/-/format/auto/ 1x, https://cdn.uc.assets.prezly.com/140d6178-7339-49a1-b535-e98c289967d9/-/resize/2400x/-/format/auto/ 2x\"\n                                class=\"release-content-image__image image-thumbnail-rollover__image\"\n                data-description=\"\"\n                id=\"image-140d6178-7339-49a1-b535-e98c289967d9\"\n                data-id=\"140d6178-7339-49a1-b535-e98c289967d9\"\n                data-original=\"https://cdn.uc.assets.prezly.com/140d6178-7339-49a1-b535-e98c289967d9/-/inline/no/1.jpeg\"\n                data-mfp-src=\"https://cdn.uc.assets.prezly.com/140d6178-7339-49a1-b535-e98c289967d9/-/resize/1200x/-/format/auto/\"\n                alt=\"Story image\"\n            />\n            <div class=\"image-thumbnail-rollover__caption\">\n                <svg class=\"icon icon-expand image-thumbnail-rollover__caption-icon\">\n                <use xlink:href=\"#icon-expand\"></use>\n            </svg>            </div>\n        </div>\n\n        <figcaption class=\"release-content-image__caption\"></figcaption>\n    </figure>\n\n    <figure\n        class=\"release-content-image release-content-image--contained release-content-image--align-center\"\n        data-component=\"image-zoom-popup\"\n        data-image-zoom-popup-selector=\".release-content-image__image\"\n        data-image-zoom-popup-i18n=\"data:application/json;base64,eyJEb3dubG9hZCI6IkRvd25sb2FkIn0=\"\n        data-image-zoom-popup-tracking-views-event=\"Story Image View\"\n        data-image-zoom-popup-tracking-download-event=\"Story Image Download\"\n        data-image-zoom-popup-placement=\"content\"\n    >\n        <div class=\"image-thumbnail-rollover\" style=\"width: 100%\">\n            <img\n                src=\"https://cdn.uc.assets.prezly.com/18c2038f-60fe-442a-ba04-698b5b312cbd/-/resize/1200x/-/format/auto/\"\n                                class=\"release-content-image__image image-thumbnail-rollover__image\"\n                data-description=\"\"\n                id=\"image-18c2038f-60fe-442a-ba04-698b5b312cbd\"\n                data-id=\"18c2038f-60fe-442a-ba04-698b5b312cbd\"\n                data-original=\"https://cdn.uc.assets.prezly.com/18c2038f-60fe-442a-ba04-698b5b312cbd/-/inline/no/3.png\"\n                data-mfp-src=\"https://cdn.uc.assets.prezly.com/18c2038f-60fe-442a-ba04-698b5b312cbd/-/resize/1200x/-/format/auto/\"\n                alt=\"Story image\"\n            />\n            <div class=\"image-thumbnail-rollover__caption\">\n                <svg class=\"icon icon-expand image-thumbnail-rollover__caption-icon\">\n                <use xlink:href=\"#icon-expand\"></use>\n            </svg>            </div>\n        </div>\n\n        <figcaption class=\"release-content-image__caption\"></figcaption>\n    </figure>\n\n    <figure\n        class=\"release-content-image release-content-image--contained release-content-image--align-center\"\n        data-component=\"image-zoom-popup\"\n        data-image-zoom-popup-selector=\".release-content-image__image\"\n        data-image-zoom-popup-i18n=\"data:application/json;base64,eyJEb3dubG9hZCI6IkRvd25sb2FkIn0=\"\n        data-image-zoom-popup-tracking-views-event=\"Story Image View\"\n        data-image-zoom-popup-tracking-download-event=\"Story Image Download\"\n        data-image-zoom-popup-placement=\"content\"\n    >\n        <div class=\"image-thumbnail-rollover\" style=\"width: 100%\">\n            <img\n                src=\"https://cdn.uc.assets.prezly.com/31660f7d-2249-4e22-b276-bbe300e70b68/-/resize/1200x/-/format/auto/\"\n                                    srcset=\"https://cdn.uc.assets.prezly.com/31660f7d-2249-4e22-b276-bbe300e70b68/-/resize/1200x/-/format/auto/ 1x, https://cdn.uc.assets.prezly.com/31660f7d-2249-4e22-b276-bbe300e70b68/-/resize/2400x/-/format/auto/ 2x\"\n                                class=\"release-content-image__image image-thumbnail-rollover__image\"\n                data-description=\"\"\n                id=\"image-31660f7d-2249-4e22-b276-bbe300e70b68\"\n                data-id=\"31660f7d-2249-4e22-b276-bbe300e70b68\"\n                data-original=\"https://cdn.uc.assets.prezly.com/31660f7d-2249-4e22-b276-bbe300e70b68/-/inline/no/7.JPG\"\n                data-mfp-src=\"https://cdn.uc.assets.prezly.com/31660f7d-2249-4e22-b276-bbe300e70b68/-/resize/1200x/-/format/auto/\"\n                alt=\"Story image\"\n            />\n            <div class=\"image-thumbnail-rollover__caption\">\n                <svg class=\"icon icon-expand image-thumbnail-rollover__caption-icon\">\n                <use xlink:href=\"#icon-expand\"></use>\n            </svg>            </div>\n        </div>\n\n        <figcaption class=\"release-content-image__caption\"></figcaption>\n    </figure>\n<hr /><div class=\"release-content-contact\" id=\"contact-07e6ec37-b802-425b-99cd-86fe619fe8d2\">\n    <div class=\"release-content-contact__avatar\"><img src=\"https://cdn.uc.assets.prezly.com/a90b37bb-f26c-499d-9d61-a5c0d25442a9/-/crop/3693x3693/923,0/-/preview/-/scale_crop/128x128/center/-/format/auto/\" alt=\"Frans Steenhoudt\" class=\"release-content-contact__avatar-image\" /></div>\n    <div class=\"release-content-contact__details\">\n        <strong class=\"release-content-contact__name\">Frans Steenhoudt</strong>\n        <em class=\"release-content-contact__description\">Perscontact wetenschap en onderzoek</em>\n        <ul class=\"release-content-contact__details-list\"><li class=\"release-content-contact__details-list-item\"><a href=\"mailto:frans.steenhoudt@vub.be\"  class=\"release-content-contact__details-list-item-link\" title=\"frans.steenhoudt@vub.be\"><svg class=\"icon icon-paper-plane release-content-contact__details-list-item-icon\">\n                <use xlink:href=\"#icon-paper-plane\"></use>\n            </svg>frans.steenhoudt@vub.be</a></li>\n<li class=\"release-content-contact__details-list-item\"><a href=\"tel:+32 4 75 68 64 69\"  class=\"release-content-contact__details-list-item-link\" title=\"+32 4 75 68 64 69\"><svg class=\"icon icon-mobile release-content-contact__details-list-item-icon\">\n                <use xlink:href=\"#icon-mobile\"></use>\n            </svg>+32 4 75 68 64 69</a></li>\n<li class=\"release-content-contact__details-list-item\"><a href=\"https://www.vub.be\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" class=\"release-content-contact__details-list-item-link\" title=\"vub.be\"><svg class=\"icon icon-browser release-content-contact__details-list-item-icon\">\n                <use xlink:href=\"#icon-browser\"></use>\n            </svg>vub.be</a></li></ul>\n    </div>\n</div><p>&nbsp;</p>",
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