Future Mobility Center: Formula Student at JMS 2025

The “Future Mobility Research Center,” established by Tokyo University of Technology, is—as its name suggests—a research facility dedicated to exploring various forms of future mobility.At the “Japan Mobility Show 2025,” an overview of the “Formula Student Project 2026”—one of the center’s research themes—was on display and attracted the attention of visitors.

Every year, many universities and technical colleges from across the country participate in the Formula Student competition; however, most of these teams are run as student club activities (independent projects), and it is by no means common for teams to compete under the leadership of a research laboratory.
Furthermore, while typical teams are composed mainly of members who are enthusiasts of cars and motorsports—and often start out with a certain level of knowledge about racing cars—the Tokyo University of Technology team is distinctive in that it begins with members who do not necessarily possess a wealth of such specialized knowledge.

Above all, what sets this project apart is its development approach. Whereas traditional teams begin their design process with mechanical elements such as the chassis, suspension, and powertrain, this project utilizes “generative design”—which makes full use of CFD (computational fluid dynamics) analysis, AI, and supercomputers.Development is proceeding with the goal of pursuing optimal body shapes and structures that transcend human preconceptions and conventional thinking.

The students have access to professional-grade tools used on the front lines of industry. The goal is not merely to help them bring their ideas to life, but to nurture future engineers who can contribute immediately in the workforce by putting them to the test in the highly competitive environment of the Formula Student competition.

Tokyo University of Technology is competing in the “EV (Electric Vehicle) Class.” Although the team has been competing since 2022, like other EV teams, it faces challenges unique to electric powertrains, and its main challenge is how to overcome the hurdles to advancing to the driving evaluation (dynamic evaluation).

Will this unique approach, which leverages cutting-edge generative design, prove to be the breakthrough we need? We look forward to closely following the project’s future progress and challenges as it moves toward the 2026 Games.