Best Place To BuildRaftar Formula Racing Team, IIT Madras | "The stakes are high. The environment is intense." | Ep. 15
CHAPTERS
- 0:00 – 0:52
2027 Moonshot: Becoming the world’s fastest electric autonomous vehicle
The episode opens with an uncompromising goal: building the fastest electric autonomous vehicle in the world by 2027. This sets the tone for a discussion that treats the student racing team like an elite engineering program with real stakes and measurable performance targets.
- •Raftaar’s headline ambition for 2027
- •Performance-first mindset (speed and autonomy)
- •Sets the competitive, high-stakes framing for the rest of the episode
- 0:52 – 1:45
Inside IIT Madras’ builder ecosystem: CFI and the ‘Best Place to Build’ premise
The host introduces the podcast’s mission—meeting student builders at IIT Madras’ innovation hub—and frames Raftaar as a standout student competition team. This episode differs from founder/professor interviews by focusing on a hands-on student engineering organization.
- •Sudha & Shankar Innovation Hub context
- •Raftaar introduced as one of the oldest student teams
- •Shift from startup/professor stories to student-build culture
- 1:45 – 3:08
What Formula Student (FSAE) actually is—and what teams must build
Aryan explains Formula Student as a global engineering competition where students design, manufacture, test, and race a high-performance prototype. He outlines the evolution from combustion to electric and the emerging driverless category with scoring advantages.
- •Teams build a complete race car prototype end-to-end
- •Powertrain categories: combustion, electric, and driverless
- •Year-long engineering cycle culminating in competition performance
- 3:08 – 5:01
Competing in India: Formula Bharat and the national field
The conversation moves to the Indian competition landscape, centered on Formula Bharat. Aryan describes team counts, the electric category’s growth, and the breadth of participating institutions across India.
- •Formula Bharat as the main Indian event (now in Coimbatore)
- •Typical participation scale (dozens of teams; growing EV category)
- •IITs and major engineering colleges competing nationally
- 5:01 – 6:02
Global circuit: Europe’s major events and the benchmark set by top teams
Aryan details how Formula Student operates across Europe and highlights Formula Student Germany as a premier event. The discussion references world-leading teams like ETH Zurich and extreme acceleration benchmarks that redefine what ‘top-tier’ means.
- •Multiple European competitions (Netherlands, Germany, Austria, etc.)
- •Formula Student Germany as a top global benchmark
- •Top teams hold record-setting acceleration performance
- 6:02 – 9:39
Why join Raftaar: intense environment, hands-on learning, and personal growth
Aryan makes the case for participation beyond resumes: students gain the full engineering loop from design to validation, plus high-pressure teamwork that accelerates personal growth. The intensity and accountability of competition create a uniquely motivating learning environment.
- •Design → manufacture → test → validate as the core learning loop
- •‘Stakes are high’ competitive environment drives growth
- •Early exposure to engineering tools (e.g., FEA) helps future research/careers
- 9:39 – 12:38
How students ramp up: self-study, mentorship, and strong faculty support
The host challenges how first- and second-year students can tackle complex vehicle systems; Aryan explains the steep learning curve and how it’s managed. He emphasizes self-learning resources, internal knowledge transfer, and a wide network of faculty and alumni support.
- •New members often start with little automotive context
- •Learning via self-study, courses, and iteration on real problems
- •Faculty advisors and alumni provide technical guidance and institutional support
- 12:38 – 15:29
How teams are judged: racing events, engineering design, cost, and business pitch
Aryan breaks down the competition format into dynamic racing events and static evaluations. Beyond lap times, teams must justify engineering decisions, manage budgets, and pitch the car as a product via a business plan presentation.
- •Dynamic events measure on-track performance (lap times)
- •Static events include cost and engineering design justification
- •Business Plan Presentation frames the car as a product to ‘investors’
- 15:29 – 20:32
Funding and sponsorship: institute support, industry partnerships, and the ‘startup’ analogy
The discussion turns practical: race cars are expensive, so the team combines institute funding with external sponsorships. Ather’s involvement exemplifies sponsorship that includes both money and technical mentorship, reinforcing the idea that Raftaar operates like a startup—pitching, fundraising, building, and proving itself.
- •Blend of institute funding + sponsorship + last-mile support from faculty
- •Ather as a key sponsor with technical input (battery pack development)
- •Team experience mirrors a startup: pitching, raising funds, validating a product
- 20:32 – 29:22
Raftaar’s technical org structure: chassis vs powertrain and subsystem ownership
Aryan explains the team’s internal engineering structure, splitting responsibilities into chassis and powertrain groups with specialized verticals. The chapter also covers material and performance ambitions (steel frame improvements, carbon fiber future) and battery/electrical safety priorities.
- •Two main divisions: chassis and powertrain
- •Chassis verticals: vehicle dynamics/drivetrain, aerodynamics, frames & composites
- •Powertrain verticals: battery/accumulator (BMS), electrical safety and controls
- •Iterative weight reduction and a roadmap toward carbon-fiber components
- 29:22 – 36:23
Winning mindset and legacy: Raftaar’s history, podium streaks, and EV transition
Ankith shares the competitive drive that culminates in a few decisive competition days each year, while describing a culture of healthy inter-team support. He then traces Raftaar’s timeline—from early international attempts to national titles, the iconic black-green livery era, and the major shift from combustion to electric during/after COVID.
- •Competition intensity: a year’s work judged in a few days
- •Healthy competition culture includes sharing spares and learning designs
- •Key milestones: first podiums, black-green livery identity, national championships
- •COVID-era pivot enabling the electric platform and rapid EV podium success
- 36:23 – 48:59
International competition reality check: logistics, resource gaps, and learning from Europe’s best
Ankith explains why podiums at events like Formula Student Germany are especially difficult for Indian teams: shipping constraints, limited tools, and unequal resources. Yet, the exposure is transformative—top European teams bring mobile workshops and share knowledge, accelerating Raftaar’s learning curve.
- •Travel/shipping limits (especially difficult with EV battery logistics)
- •European teams’ long legacy and higher funding/resources
- •On-site manufacturing capability for some teams (trailers full of tools)
- •International exposure as a way to import best practices back home
- 48:59 – 52:12
Failure, resilience, and ‘no one ever gives up’: rebuilding after crashes
The host prompts for the lows, and Ankith recounts a major setback just before launching the first electric car—an accident that destroyed suspension days before the event. The team’s response highlights Raftaar’s culture: urgent coordination, pushing vendors to deliver, and turning crisis into execution.
- •Engineering reality: failures are inevitable and often dramatic
- •Pre-launch crash forced a multi-day emergency rebuild
- •Team coordination under time pressure (shops closed, weekend constraints)
- •Culture of resilience: lows converted into eventual highs
- 52:12 – 1:00:39
Drivers, performance numbers, and balancing academics with an all-consuming build season
Divyaratna explains how members join, learn through smaller ‘sub-junior’ projects, and work across disciplines regardless of academic department. He then covers driver selection, why engineers drive their own car for validation, performance figures, and how students manage academics, stress, and time near competition deadlines.
- •Recruitment in second semester; onboarding via small technical projects
- •Interdisciplinary culture (branch doesn’t limit subsystem work)
- •Driver selection from within the team; responsibility and validation loop
- •Performance targets: high top speed and very strong acceleration
- •Time/stress management: electives, schedule flexibility, and holiday sacrifice
- 1:00:39 – 1:03:56
Sponsorship as collaboration + the 2027 autonomy goal revisited (closing)
The episode closes by reframing sponsorship as a value exchange rather than CSR—sharing examples like tire testing data that helps manufacturers improve products. Divyaratna restates the 2027 objective to become the fastest electric autonomous vehicle, emphasizing that partnerships and funding are essential to compete internationally at the top tier.
- •Moving from CSR funding to industry collaboration value
- •Examples: tire testing data partnerships; test bench collaboration
- •Scaling internationally requires more resources and stronger sponsorship
- •Final restatement of the 2027 fastest electric autonomous vehicle goal
