IR23 Opal

For the team, the IR23 — named “Opal” — meant one thing above all: a fresh start. The long and difficult COVID years were finally behind us, the team was growing again, and with that came a renewed sense of energy and momentum.

Early on, one thing was clear: it was time to leave the old IR17 platform behind. After following that concept for the previous two years, we decided not to keep building on old solutions. Instead, we took everything we had learned from two years of developing the IR21 and used it to create an entirely new platform from the ground up. Looking back, it was exactly the right call.

The goal was straightforward: build a car that is simple, robust, and above all a solid platform for future development. But that also meant starting over in almost every area. Drivetrain concept, accumulator, monocoque, kinematics — nothing was left untouched.

One of the biggest changes was the switch from a two-part accumulator with pouch cells in the sidepods to a single-piece accumulator with cylindrical cells and a newly developed BMS mounted in the rear of the car. The previous drivetrain — an Emrax 228 HV CC motor paired with a Bamocar D3 inverter — was replaced completely. In its place, we installed two AMK DD5-13-10-POW motors with two AMK KW26-S5-FSE-4Q2 inverters. That also meant designing an entirely new gearbox.

The monocoque was also reworked from the ground up: new shape, new material, new layup. One special feature of the IR23 was the return to a single-piece monocoque. At the same time, this pushed our manufacturing capacity to its limit, which is why we decided not to produce an aerodynamic package.

And of course, a new monocoque never comes on its own. The entire kinematic setup had was redeveloped as well — from the steering system all the way to the wheel assembly, no part stayed the same. The rest of the electronics were no exception either: every PCB was redesigned from scratch.

Honestly, we could have saved ourselves the long list and simply said what stayed the same: nothing.

Despite all of that, this fresh start worked. The IR23 was able to complete its first test kilometers before the events, which allowed us to identify and solve many fundamental issues early on.

The IR23 then made its way to Formula Student Germany (FSG). Unfortunately, we were not able to pass all scrutineering stages in time. A frustrating setback, no doubt — but not one that stopped the team. Even after the event, everyone stayed committed, problems were addressed properly, and shortly after the event season, the IR23 was fully compliant with the rules. For us, that was a major milestone.

Now the next step is to make full use of this platform. After revolution comes evolution. With that mindset, we are heading into the next season full of motivation and doing everything we can to get the IR24 back on track at an event.