Welcome back!

November has been a month of rapid transition for University of Toronto Formula Racing. As the design phase crystallizes into physical parts, the shop has become a hive of activity. From the first composite layups of the season to hosting industry leaders and prospective students, the team is operating at full speed. With the shop buzzing and manufacturing officially underway, the path to UT26 is becoming clearer every day.

In this edition: 

• SAE Event Recap: Dr. Jay Zhou

• Fall Campus Day

• Pit Lane Perspectives: Electrical Director, Mehar Singh

• UT25: Rebuilt and Ready

• Manufacturing Kicks Off

Let’s get started.

SAE Event Recap: Dr. Jay Zhou

On November 13, UTFR collaborated with SAE Central Ontario to host a special lecture on EV Reliability and AI in Automotive, featuring Dr. Jay Zhou, the former Vice President of Ford Asia-Pacific. Dr. Zhou’s presentation was vast in scope, covering far more than just high-level trends. He took the audience through the different levels of AI integration and the specific ways it supports various aspects of the automotive ecosystem. Beyond software, he also tackled the critical hardware challenges of electric vehicle design and safety, breaking down engineering strategies to extend battery life while maintaining rigorous safety standards.

The evening brought together students, industry professionals, and the UTFR team for an incredible opportunity to network and exchange ideas. A huge thank you to SAE Central Ontario for making this collaboration possible; we are grateful to build these connections and learn from the leaders shaping the future of the industry.

Fall Campus Day

On November 15, UTFR hosted a booth at the University of Toronto’s Fall Campus Day, welcoming prospective students and families to learn more about our team and the exciting world of Formula SAE.

Our booth showcased the engineering, innovation, and teamwork behind building a competitive race car, and we loved answering questions about design, manufacturing, and what it’s like to be part of UTFR.

This was an amazing opportunity to connect with future U of T students and share how they can get involved in shaping the future of motorsport and automotive. Thank you to everyone who stopped by, we can’t wait to see you in the shop soon.

Pit Lane Perspectives: Electrical Director, Mehar Singh

This issue, we sat down with UTFR’s Electrical Technical Director (ETD), Mehar Singh, to discuss the massive shift to four-wheel drive, the art of hardware design, and the high-stakes pressure of leading a critical department. Mehar’s journey is defined by his passion for motorsports and a relentless pursuit of technical depth, starting from his initial curiosity about PCB design.

Drawn to the Circuit

Mehar’s drive to join UTFR stemmed from his passion for racing and the team’s tangible goal: building a functional and fast race car every year.

His background in Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) naturally drew him to the electrical side, specifically the electronics section and the challenge of PCB design. As a first-year, Mehar focused on electronics, which involved soldering and testing a spare version of the rear controller, the main Electronic Control Unit (ECU) of the car. He spent his second year expanding his knowledge, helping with battery pack manufacturing and systems integration. Gaining this breadth of experience motivated him to apply for the ETD role.

The Executive Blueprint

Mehar defines his role as ETD in the design phase as primarily project management, coupled with being a technical reviewer to ensure the department meets all high-level system requirements. A typical week involves focusing on ensuring the team is on the same page, communicating well, and that all designs sent out are functional.

In electrical and hardware, even a small setback can cost weeks on the timeline. This means the team must commit to rigorous design review to "do things right the first time."

The Move to Four-Wheel Drive

The biggest change for the UT26 car is the move to four-wheel drive (4WD). Electrical is a huge part of that movement because the team has to power and command all four of those motors. The transition required the electrical team to rethink their architecture from the ground up, focusing on safety, especially with high-voltage systems, and ensuring the system is reliable and high-performing. Mehar is most excited about the new control capabilities this unlocks in software. Seeing the car move with improved traction control and torque vectoring will be a very fulfilling experience.

Balancing the Crucial Factors

When making high-stakes decisions as ETD, Mehar must balance performance, safety, manufacturability, and reliability.

For safety, especially with high-voltage systems, the team follows requirements mandated by competition rules. They also think ahead, designing for manufacturability and serviceability by anticipating how they will interact with the system six months down the line.

To keep the many interconnected electrical subsystems, such as power distribution, CAN bus communication, and sensors, aligned, the team relies on rigorous testing and validation. They validate circuits on a test bench first before integrating anything onto the car, which helps them debug issues early in an easy-to-fix environment.

The View from the Shop

Mehar describes UTFR in three words: Intense, Fun, and Rewarding. His motivation for late nights and debugging marathons is always the end goal: having a running car at the end of the season. He is most inspired by the previous electrical directors of the team, who have served as mentors. A major lesson Mehar learned is that "it's okay to not know everything," but you must be willing to learn and improve. This mindset has been crucial for the 4WD transition, as much of the new work is uncharted territory for the team.

His advice for new members is: "Be very open to learn, come in with an open mind and be consistent". He emphasizes that showing interest and eagerness will always lead to opportunities, and senior members are there to help build the car together.

You can connect with Mehar on LinkedIn.

UT25: Rebuilt and Ready

We are also thrilled to announce that UT25 has been fully rebuilt following its demanding journey across the Atlantic. After being shipped back from Formula Student Germany and unpacked in the shop, the team wasted no time bringing the car back to its full glory. We are incredibly proud of everything this car accomplished during the competition season, and seeing it fully assembled in the shop again is a great reminder of those achievements.

Moving forward, UT25 will take on a new life as our dedicated showcar. Having a competition-proven vehicle ready to go allows us to better connect with our community and sponsors. We look forward to displaying it at future events, where it will continue to represent the team and showcase our engineering capabilities to the world.

Manufacturing Kicks Off

The transition from digital design to physical production is officially underway, and the shop is buzzing with activity as we get back to what we love most. We are incredibly excited to get our hands dirty again, diving straight into complex composite work. The team has already started executing layups for our aerodynamics package, focusing on the bodywork that will define the car’s profile, as well as fabricating test panels for the multitude of structural carbon fiber and kevlar components.

It feels good to be building again, and the momentum is only growing as we see our designs take shape in the real world. The team is preparing for heavy fabrication, with chassis welding just around the corner to bring the frame of UT26 to life.

Get Involved

Sponsors

UTFR’s success is made possible by our sponsors, they help us with parts, manufacturing support, design advice, and so much more.

Our 2025/26 sponsorship package is now live. To know more about our offerings and upcoming season events, please reply to this email and we will get back to you.

Alumni

Know any UTFR Alumni who would like to keep in touch with our team’s journey? Fill out this form and learn more about our alumni offerings in the next edition.

We're always looking to improve and innovate, both on and off the track. Have any thoughts on this newsletter? Ideas for future content? We want to hear from you!

Reply to this email or connect with us on LinkedIn or Instagram. Your feedback could spark our next big idea or feature in an upcoming issue.

Happy Holidays.