Tesla is giving back and sponsoring Formula SAE electric racing teams with free battery cells and discounted hardware.
Formula SAE is a student competition that challenges groups to “conceive, design, fabricate, develop and compete with small, formula-style vehicles. The Formula SAE is a program of SAE International.
This move is not a big surprise, as Tesla has long poached former Formula SAE students to work for the company, according to Front Office Sports.
Teams have until Wednesday to submit their application. Formula SAE teams can choose one of two types of sponsorships:
- Up to 1,000 high-performance 18650 free cylindrical cells. Teams can choose either high-energy or high-power
- An 80% discount on pre-built modules and other hardware supplied by Enepaq (up to $22,700)
Last but certainly not least, Tesla is also offering sponsored teams the opportunity to chat with Tesla engineers on their design. The Tesla electric powertrain engineer will provide guidance to the teams through the design and validation process.
One has to wonder if this is the first step in a longer process of Tesla competing and potentially owning a Formula-E team in the future.
