From Design to Competition: The Journey of Vinci Eco Drive and Their Electric Single-Seater

• Industry: Automotive
• Manufacturing Process Used: CNC Machining
• Challenge: Quickly receiving precision parts made from innovative materials
• Solution: Finding a reliable manufacturing partner offering a variety of processes and materials at the forefront of innovation.

Vinci Eco Drive is the automotive sports and construction student association of the Léonard de Vinci campus in Paris. For the past 10 years, the members of the association have been passing on their expertise and continuously innovating in all aspects, including manufacturing carbon fiber parts, machining various steel and aluminum components, and developing onboard systems.

Two Ambitious Projects: An Efficiency Prototype and a Formula Student Requiring Meticulous Design

Xometry: What are your flagship projects?

Vinci Eco Drive (VED): Our first historical project, the Efficiency Prototype, aims to cover the maximum distance with minimal energy. With its optimised aerodynamic shape and an electric motor powered by a 48-volt battery, we set a record of 3,731 km on the equivalent of one liter of unleaded 95. This prototype earned us third place overall in the Challenge Eco Green Energy 2023.

Our second and most ambitious project to date is the Formula Student, an electric single-seater designed at a student level. Equipped with four motors—one per wheel—and a total power output of approximately 120 horsepower for a weight of 250 kg, this single-seater is expected to have its first version completed by the second quarter of 2025. We aim to participate in our first competitions in 2025 and compete in Formula Student Germany, the largest Formula Student competition in the world, bringing together over 100 international teams.

Xometry: Can you explain your design process in more detail?

VED: We start by identifying the specific needs and goals of each project. Our priority is to design prototypes with maximum efficiency and mechanical reliability. To achieve this, we require well-designed and precisely manufactured parts. For instance, with our Efficiency Prototype, we constantly aim to set new records for kilometers traveled using the equivalent energy of a full tank of gas in electricity. This involves minimising friction within mechanical components while carefully analysing the properties of available materials to select those that best meet our requirements. We also study the available materials and their properties to choose the ones best suited to our needs.

Next, we use Computer-Aided Design (CAD) software, such as Dassault Systèmes’ 3DExperience and Fusion360, to model the various parts and components of the vehicle. We conduct simulations to optimise aerodynamics and material strength, allowing us to maximise the performance of our prototypes.

Xometry: How do you decide on the manufacturing processes and materials for your prototypes?

VED: Selecting the right manufacturing processes and materials is crucial for us. We have three main criteria:

• Performance: We choose materials that offer the best balance between strength, weight, and cost. For example, we use aluminum EN AW-6061 and steel 1.7225 because these alloys provide excellent resistance to the stresses (friction, torsion, compression) our prototypes endure.
• Innovation: We use modern materials like carbon fiber to reduce weight and enhance the performance of our vehicles. This approach allows us to stay at the forefront of innovation in student automotive construction.
• Reliability: We prioritise proven and reliable manufacturing processes to ensure the quality of our components. For this reason, we exclusively use CNC machining to achieve tighter tolerances. Additionally, we apply specific treatments to our gears, such as carburising (thickness of 0.1 to 0.2 mm) and achieving hardness levels above 59.3 +/- 1 HRC, to enhance their durability.

Vinci Eco Drive’s Collaboration with Xometry: A Strategic Manufacturing Partnership

Xometry: How has Xometry contributed to your projects?

VED: We turned to Xometry for the production of our most complex parts, most of which required 5-axis CNC machining. Xometry also assisted us with machining large components that exceed the capacity of our own machines, such as a large gear wheel approximately 30 cm in diameter for our Efficiency Prototype.

Gear wheel from Vinci Eco Drive

CNC machined transmission components produced by Xometry

Xometry: What are these parts used for?

VED: These parts are essential for the steering, braking, and transmission systems of the Efficiency Prototype. For the Formula Student, Xometry manufactured all the transmission components.

Xometry: Why did you choose to work with Xometry?

VED: Our predecessors had already collaborated with Xometry. We needed a solution to machine parts we couldn’t produce ourselves. Xometry proved to be the easiest and most collaborative option. The Instant Quoting Engine is very convenient and allows us to quickly estimate the total cost of our parts. Its user-friendly interface makes it easy to precisely configure our requirements. Additionally, the fast delivery times streamline our final assembly process.

The Future Ambitions of Vinci Eco Drive

Efficiency Prototype: We will continue participating in the Challenge Eco Green Energy to push the boundaries of energy efficiency. Additionally, we plan to return to the Shell Eco Marathon, a European competition bringing together around 100 teams, where we also competed this year.

Formula Student: Our goal is to compete in Formula Student Germany in 2026, which brings together over 100 international teams. We are actively working on preparing our electric single-seater for this milestone.

To learn more about Vinci Eco Drive: https://vinciecodrive.fr/

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