UC Santa Cruz Formula Slug

Formula Slug is the Formula SAE team at UC Santa Cruz. We are completely student-run and compete in an annual competition in Michigan, where we design, assemble, and drive a fully electric formula-style racecar fully funded through donations, grants, and sponsorships. We are a team full of passion and diverse backgrounds, and have made significant progress in our car designs. Namely, in the previous year, Formula Slug was able to place 18th overall out of 100+ other competing universities, placing the highest out of all UC schools and notably placing 3rd overall in Efficiency.

One of our primary projects this year is to create a custom battery pack, known as the Tractive Battery. In previous years, due to funding limitations and sponsorship opportunities, we had used pre-made/pre-packaged lithium-ion modules that we connected to create our full high-voltage system for our car. In building a custom Tractive Battery, we face new obstacles and unfamiliar design processes; one of these is designing our battery cell holders.

Our objective in working with PCBWay is to allow us an opportunity to affordably and efficiently test and print cell holders for our car with temperature-rated filaments and a reliably low tolerance product we can trust. Attached below is the current iteration of our singular module that we would print. As shown below is an example of a cell module on how we would hold our cells in place, so we can connect them safely and effectively. The blue frames would be the parts we'd like to collaborate with PCBWay on printing for us, using one of your UL94 or temperature-rated filaments.

As a student-run organization with no true reliable source of funding, we always work on a limited budget, which is why we find collaboration and partnership with companies crucial to our success. We would be extremely grateful to create a partnership with PCBWay to ensure the safety and reliability of our car, as well as provide an opportunity for students to gain firsthand experience with technology and equipment that cannot be found in a classroom setting. Your support would be critical in Formula Slug’s goal to build a more efficient and powerful car and continue to innovate on our journey to Michigan this academic year!