Formula SAE and the next generation of mobility innovators

The 2024 edition of the annual Formula SAE (F-SAE) event is taking place this weekend at Melbourne’s Calder Raceway, with a launch event on Friday, and the races over the weekend. And for this edition iMOVE is sponsoring the event’s Efficiency Award.

Formula SAE goes beyond being a mere competition – it is a partnership between academic talent, industry expertise, and the larger vision of reshaping the future of transport. At iMOVE, we take pride in investing in this collaboration, as it cultivates innovation, talent, and practical solutions for modern mobility challenges.

The next time you see an electric vehicle, lightweight design innovation, or cutting-edge autonomous feature, consider this – it may very well have its roots in a Formula SAE competition. Together, we support and celebrate the young minds defining our industry’s future.

What is Formula SAE?

Formula SAE is a prestigious student engineering design competition held annually by SAE International. The challenge is straightforward yet immensely complex: student teams must design, build, and test a single-seater race car. This car is then judged on a range of criteria, including performance, engineering design, and cost efficiency.

Established decades ago, F-SAE has grown into a global competition that attracts thousands of engineering students from leading universities worldwide. Participation goes far beyond the creation of a fast car—students tackle real-world engineering problems under tight deadlines and budgets, mirroring challenges often faced in the transport and mobility industry.

There are three categories of vehicle involved in F-SAE competition:

1. Internal Combustion
2. Autonomous Vehicles
3. Electric Vehicles

Key objectives of SAE

• Practical experience: Students apply theoretical knowledge to the design, fabrication, and testing phases.
• Innovation: Teams are encouraged to think outside the box and push the boundaries of conventional automotive engineering.
• Collaboration: Success requires multidisciplinary teamwork, with students from engineering, business, and marketing programs working together.
• Networking: The competition connects students with industry professionals, offering visibility to future employers.

How student participants benefit

For participating students, F-SAE represents far more than a competition—it is a proving ground for future careers and an opportunity to cultivate critical industry connections. Here’s how the program benefits these young innovators and creates a ripple effect across the transport industry.

1. Skill development

F-SAE provides hands-on experience in design, manufacturing, and testing. Students learn how to work with CAD software, finite element analysis tools, and even data acquisition systems. Beyond technical skills, they also acquire team management, budgeting, and communications expertise, all core competencies vital to transport and mobility roles.

2. Preparing for the future of mobility

With electrification and autonomous technologies reshaping the field, students must create projects that account for fuel efficiency, energy storage, and systems integration. F-SAE allows participants to tackle these challenges firsthand.

3. Real-world problem solving

Time constraints, budget limitations, and evolving competition requirements provide students with real-world experience solving practical challenges—skills they will lean on in their careers.

4. Collaboration across disciplines

The interdisciplinary nature of F-SAE prepares students to communicate and work effectively within diverse teams, a foundational skill across all aspects of mobility and system design.

5. Access to industry experts

Competitions like F-SAE attract significant attention from industry, offering students invaluable networking opportunities. By working closely with industry professionals, students gain mentorship, visibility, and career opportunities.

6. A sense of achievement

For many students, completing an F-SAE project isn’t just about winning, it’s a professional milestone. Seeing their hard work culminate in a fully functional race car boosts their confidence and reinforces their commitment to a future in engineering.

The other benefit of being involved with Formula SAE from a student’s point of view is that they are much sought after. Many, many students who have gone through the program have landed prime jobs in very, very strong companies.

Adrian Feeney, former President SAE Australia

F-SAE’s role in shaping the transport industry

Programs like F-SAE deliver a dual benefit to the transport industry. Not only do they provide students with the tools and experience needed to hit the ground running. It also gives industry access to a highly motivated, capable, and innovative talent pool.

For businesses in the transport sector, F-SAE alumni represent top-tier hires with proven experience in teamwork, leadership, and innovation. Many graduates go on to work with leading OEMs, leading edge mobility startups, and even transport policy organisations.

Collaborations and sponsorships, such as iMOVE’s involvement in the Efficiency Award, further galvanise these efforts, ensuring the next generation of innovators is aligned with industry goals, be it optimising energy efficiency, reducing environmental impact, or tackling the challenges around automation and electrification head-on.

For the automotive and transport sectors, F-SAE is essentially a high-stakes talent incubator, producing work-ready graduates who understand complex systems, sustainability, and efficiency, all essential skills for modern mobility challenges.

PACCAR Australia has a history of employing engineering graduates who’ve participated in Formula-SAE because they come to the organisation with a range of skills other undergraduate students may not have. Students who’ve participated in FSAE have experience working in a real-life, large-scale project with a hard deadline, costs and stakeholders. They understand the balance between good design and manufacturability, managing expectations and they have a sense of urgency that is not always common. Their ability to communicate clearly also sets them apart.”

Kate Sykes, Employee Services and Project Manager, PACCAR Australia-

iMOVE and the Efficiency Award

At iMOVE, we are committed to advancing Australia’s transport and mobility systems through R&D collaboration. Sponsoring the Efficiency Award at F-SAE aligns perfectly with our mission of driving innovation while addressing critical industry challenges, such as energy efficiency and smarter design.

The Efficiency Award stands out because it underscores a central priority in today’s automotive and transport industries, developing solutions that achieve maximum performance with minimum resource consumption. With an increasing focus on carbon-neutral technologies, this category has become more relevant than ever.

Why iMOVE sponsored the award

1. Encouraging sustainable innovation

The award inspires students to think critically about energy efficiency, aligning with global efforts to reduce emissions and optimise vehicle performance.

1. Highlighting practical impact

The award emphasises real-world implications, encouraging participants to balance innovation with practicality, a crucial skill for tackling challenges in transportation.

1. Building a talent pipeline

Through the sponsorship, we support and interact with the engineers of tomorrow. This creates opportunities for collaboration with fresh thinkers who bring innovative approaches to energy and mobility solutions.

The Efficiency Award rewards ingenuity and celebrates the importance of smarter engineering solutions in shaping a sustainable future.