Case Study: Lions Racing Team achieves improved motor cooling for electric race cars with SLM Solutions

Additive manufacturing of engine cooling for wheel hub electric motors

The Lions Racing Team from TU Braunschweig, a student Formula Student racing team, needed an improved way to cool the wheel hub electric motors in its LR 17 electric race car. Working with SLM Solutions and its SLM® metal additive manufacturing process, the team sought a lighter, more effective replacement for its previous plastic motor cooling part.

SLM Solutions produced an aluminum sinter motor cooling component on an SLM®280 Twin using AlSi10Mg, improving sealing, hose connections, and heat dissipation while keeping the weight the same. The additively manufactured part delivered an extra 250–500 watts of cooling capacity and contributed to about a 7% gain in overall cooling performance, while also offering better durability and thermal behavior than the plastic design.

Lions Racing Team