01 / OVERVIEW
Joining an electric motorcycle team after moving to Germany
Shortly after moving to Germany for my master’s degree at TUM, I joined TUfast Moto Electric, a student engineering team focused on designing and manufacturing an electric racing motorcycle. After several years working in industry, I wanted to return to a hands-on engineering environment where I could contribute to real hardware. My work focused on mechanical analysis, drivetrain design and manufacturing support, especially during the final preparation phase before the international competition.
02 / ENGINEERING CHALLENGE
Designing lightweight components for a competition motorcycle
The motorcycle required mechanical components that were lightweight, manufacturable and strong enough for real operating loads. My early work focused on three components: the brake pedal, the rider footpeg and the drivetrain sprocket. Each component had different requirements: the brake pedal had to withstand rider input and brake piston reaction forces, the footpeg had to support rider loads under acceleration and possible impact cases, and the sprocket had to satisfy the required transmission ratio while remaining lightweight and manufacturable.
03 / COMPONENT FEM ANALYSIS
Brake pedal and footpeg load-case verification
For the brake pedal, I first analyzed the force direction and load path generated by the rider’s foot input and the brake piston reaction. I then used Altair HyperWorks to evaluate whether the selected plate thickness and pedal geometry were sufficient, including the effect of pedal length and the resulting moment. For the rider footpeg, I followed a similar approach, considering high-acceleration loading and a conservative landing case where the footpeg would temporarily support the rider after a small drop. These analyses helped verify whether the planned geometry and material thickness were appropriate before manufacturing.
04 / DRIVETRAIN DESIGN
Designing the rear sprocket from transmission requirements
The sprocket was my strongest mechanical design contribution. The team provided the required transmission ratio and packaging dimensions, and I developed the sprocket geometry from those constraints. Based on the ER 415ERZ chain, I calculated the pitch diameter, root diameter, roller clearance, tooth spacing, contact geometry and other chain-sprocket parameters needed to create the model. I then built the sprocket in CATIA/3DEXPERIENCE and prepared the CAD geometry for further optimization and manufacturing documentation.
05 / TOPOLOGY OPTIMIZATION
Reducing sprocket weight while preserving mechanical function
After creating the initial sprocket model, I used the drivetrain and motor requirements to define loading conditions for a topology optimization study in Altair Inspire. The goal was to remove unnecessary material while preserving mechanical integrity and manufacturability. The optimization result guided the final geometry, allowing the sprocket to become lighter without losing its functional load paths. The final CAD model and drawings were then released for external manufacturing.
06 / EV BATTERY MANUFACTURING
Hands-on battery assembly under competition pressure
My strongest hands-on contribution was in the battery manufacturing phase. I supported the assembly of the electric motorcycle battery modules and performed approximately 3,000 individual nickel spot welds. This work gave me direct exposure to battery pack construction, cell grouping, electrical connection strategy, testing requirements and the manufacturing discipline needed to build a functional high-voltage system under time pressure.
07 / COMPETITION SUPPORT
Battery recovery and low-voltage readiness in Spain
What this project demonstrates
• Mechanical component analysis for real operating loads
• FEM verification using Altair HyperWorks
• CATIA / 3DEXPERIENCE mechanical modeling
• Chain and sprocket geometry calculation
• Topology optimization with Altair Inspire
• Design for manufacturability
• EV battery module manufacturing
• Nickel spot welding and busbar preparation
• Low-voltage and BMS readiness support
• Hands-on work under competition pressure
• Team support and problem solving in the paddock
