The geometric configuration of the chassis was developed using specialised CAD software, following a specific design methodology aimed at achieving the required strength and stiffness under the anticipated on-track vehicle loads. At the same time, particular emphasis was placed on maintaining a very low chassis mass, thereby also contributing to the vehicle’s energy efficiency. Driver safety, manufacturability, and the integration of the vehicle’s individual systems (suspension, steering, power transmission, etc.) were also taken into consideration during the design process. The mechanical behaviour of the chassis was evaluated under three primary static load cases: bending, torsion, and braking, in order to evaluate its response to the most critical loads developed during vehicle operation. The numerical investigation and evaluation were carried out using the ANSA and META computer-aided engineering software tools developed by BETA CAE Systems.

The chassis was manufactured in 2021 by three students from the TUCer team (2020–2021), Theodoros Stefanoulis, Konstantinos Sachinidis and Panagiotis Psentelis, using the manufacturing facilities of the Interdepartmental Machine Tools Laboratory of the Technical University of Crete. It has a mass of 8 kg and a torsional stiffness of 238 Nm/deg. Following the completion of manufacturing and the vehicle’s initial testing, the ER.2021 chassis was used as the primary load-bearing structure of the team’s evolving vehicle in four Shell Eco-marathon competitions, in 2022, 2023, 2025, and 2026, without requiring any structural modification or reinforcement. The multi-year use of the ER.2021 chassis under real-world operating conditions also provided practical validation of the design approach and its structural adequacy. The design and development of the ER.2021 chassis formed the subject of the diploma thesis of Theodoros Stefanoulis, under the supervision of professor Nikolaos Tsourveloudis. Theodoros Stefanoulis was a member of the TUCer team for more than five years.

The diploma thesis was presented on 8 May 2026. The thesis and its presentation are available at the links below:

• Diploma Thesis: https://dias.library.tuc.gr/entities/publication/fe431416-73a3-438f-bf4a-fcfce55723cf
• Presentation: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1D-jl9vEe9GHBT-vYsufQu9gT2SatovCV/view?usp=sharing 

Related links

• https://www.linkedin.com/posts/mauro-salazar-a29b1691_very-energizing-annual-meeting-of-the-ieee-activity-7404586719590637569-ZNWq?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_ios&rcm=ACoAADUTIjMBM8hSCEcVFUGoQiC5SoRCOE-2vIo
• https://www.linkedin.com/posts/andreasmalikopoulos_cdc-2025-was-very-productive-full-of-strong-ugcPost-7406114791293009920-8p9P?utm_medium=ios_app&rcm=ACoAADUTIjMBM8hSCEcVFUGoQiC5SoRCOE-2vIo&utm_source=social_share_send&utm_campaign=copy_link
• Filippos' personal web page

The 2025 racing team members are:

1. Michail-Angelos Gkouvelis, School of Production Engineering and Management
2. Ioanna Theodosiou, School of Production Engineering and Management
3. Georgios-Konstantinos Karalis, School of Electrical and Computer Engineering
4. Olga Koufa, School of Architecture
5. Evangelos Boumakis, School of Production Engineering and Management
6. Georgios Syntychakis, School of Electrical and Computer Engineering

TUCer team wishes to thank its sponsors BETA CAE Systems, Terna Energy, Coral, Raycap, ANEK LINES, SUPERFAST FERRIES, ABB και Antonis Bikes.

At first, the wheel was successfully tested by applying a pressure at least 30% higher than the rated value. Before the road, the wheel will be tested indoors, with the a prototype testing system. The system can simulate wheel loads and conditions, similar to the real road use. Furthermore it may be used to compare the efficiency of different wheel designs.

TUCer team members agreed that the proposed system is more than adequate for the live presentation and the data logging during testing and racing of the prototypes. The rest of the development and construction phases were scheduled for the immediate future. The team's intention is to use the telemetry system at Shell Eco-marathon Europe an Africa 2025 international competition.