BCN eMotorsport
BCN eMotorsport is a non-profit university Formula Student team at UPC Barcelona that designs and races an annual electric and driverless single-seater, funded through tiered corporate sponsorships led by CUPRA.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2007
- HeadquartersBarcelona, Spain
- Headcount—
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What BCN eMotorsport does
BCN eMotorsport is a non-profit university Formula Student engineering team based at the Escola Tècnica Superior d'Enginyeria Industrial de Barcelona (ETSEIB) and ETSETB at the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC) in Barcelona, Spain. Founded in 2007 by 13 students originally as ETSEIB Motorsport, it became the first Spanish team to design and build an electric Formula Student car in 2011 (CAT05e); a sister team, Driverless UPC, built Spain's first autonomous electric FS car in 2018. In 2020 the two teams merged into BCN eMotorsport to comply with competition rules requiring a single car to enter both manual and driverless events, consolidating roughly 47 student members across seven technical departments.
The team's core product is an annual single-seater electric race car, currently CAT17x with CAT18x in development. The powertrain uses four in-wheel motors with torque vectoring, in-house-developed inverters implemented on FPGAs, and a custom battery thermal-management system. The chassis is a modular carbon-fiber monocoque. The driverless stack fuses LiDAR at 600,000 points per second, cameras, and IMU through a machine-learning-based cone-detection pipeline, with Model Predictive Control handling trajectory planning. A "fusion car" architecture lets the same vehicle enter both electric and driverless FS categories.
BCN eMotorsport has no commercial revenue. Operations are funded through tiered corporate sponsorships (Principal, Premium, Platinum, Gold, Silver, Bronze, Partner, Software) and UPC institutional support. The sponsor roster is anchored by Principal partner CUPRA and includes Premium/Platinum partners TE Connectivity, Schaeffler, Applus+ IDIADA, NTT DATA, Gestamp, HP, ITK Engineering, Draxton, Grupo Dover, Premium PSU, Lab Circuits, LCEM, and DS Composites, with software-tier partners Altair, SOLIDWORKS, IPG Automotive, and VI-grade. The team competes at Formula Student events in Czech Republic, Spain, Germany, and Austria/Alpe Adria to demonstrate engineering capability, retain sponsors, and train engineering students.
BCN eMotorsport firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- BCN eMotorsport
- Legal name
- BCN eMotorsport
- Website
- https://bcnemotorsport.upc.edu
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2007
- Operating status
- Operating
- Short description
- BCN eMotorsport is a non-profit university Formula Student team at UPC Barcelona that designs and races an annual electric and driverless single-seater, funded through tiered corporate sponsorships led by CUPRA.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
BCN eMotorsport industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Motorsport Engineering
- NAICS
- Sports Teams and Clubs (711211)
- SIC
- Services-Racing, Including Track Operation (7948)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Motorsports Teams & Entrants (Factory & Independent) (MPAKAGAB)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Motorsports Support & Feeder Series (Developmental Championships) (MPAKAGAH)
Keywords
Where BCN eMotorsport is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Barcelona
- HQ country
- Spain
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices2 records
Markets served
BCN eMotorsport business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Personnel
Revenue model
- University Support: Institutional support from UPC (Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya) including facilities, equipment access, and academic recognition for student participants.
- Corporate Sponsorship: Tiered sponsorship program with Principal, Premium, Platinum, Gold, Silver, Bronze, and Partner levels. Sponsors receive brand visibility on car, team gear, website, social media, and at international competitions.
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels7 records
BCN eMotorsport product offering
Product offeringCore offering
BCN eMotorsport is a UPC university team that designs, builds, and races single-seater Formula Student race cars capable of competing in both electric (manual) and driverless (autonomous) categories. Each season the team produces a new generation vehicle (CAT series), integrating proprietary technologies such as in-wheel motors with torque vectoring, in-house FPGA-based inverters, advanced battery systems, LiDAR/camera/IMU perception, and MPC-based planning. The team competes at four European Formula Student events per season and is funded through tiered corporate sponsorships and institutional support.
Product overview
BCN eMotorsport is a university racing team that designs and builds Formula Student electric and driverless race cars. Their product portfolio consists of Formula Student competition vehicles (single-seater race cars) designated by the 'CAT' naming convention. The team produces one new car per year, with the current CAT17x being the latest generation. These cars compete in both electric (manual driving) and driverless (autonomous) categories at European Formula Student competitions. The cars feature advanced technologies including four-wheel drive with in-wheel motors, torque vectoring, autonomous perception systems with LiDAR/cameras, and carbon fiber monocoque construction.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- CAT17x Fourth-generation fusion single-seater race car designed and built by BCN eMotorsport to compete in both manual (electric) and driverless events at European Formula Student competitions. Designed for UPC engineering students competing at events such as FS Austria, FS Spain, and FS Germany.
- CAT16x Third-generation fusion single-seater race car competing in both Electric and Driverless Vehicle categories, featuring Torque Vectoring algorithms and a redesigned aerodynamic package. Used by UPC engineering students to compete at Formula Student Spain 2024.
- CAT15x Second-generation fusion single-seater race car for both manual and autonomous categories, featuring a newly designed battery and optimized monocoque. Competed at Formula Student Spain 2023 with UPC engineering student team.
- CAT14x First fusion car establishing the confluence between manual and autonomous driving in a single vehicle, with a self-developed processing unit. Built by UPC engineering students to mark the post-merger BCN eMotorsport era.
- XALOC (CAT12d) First Spanish Formula Student car capable of competing in the autonomous electric category, featuring LiDAR perception, dual IMUs, and MPC-based trajectory calculation. Built by Driverless UPC students in 2019.
- Corporate Sponsorship Program Tiered sponsorship packages offered to corporate partners in the automotive, motorsport, industrial technology, and engineering sectors, providing brand visibility on the race car, team gear, website, and social media plus access to UPC engineering talent and European Formula Student competitions.
Quantifiable outcome
- 2nd best performance ever at Formula Student Germany with CAT17x
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use BCN eMotorsport
Customer profileSegments2 records
Ideal customer profiles1 record
BCN eMotorsport technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
AI capability4 records
Feature5 records
BCN eMotorsport partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
20 partnerships are on record, tiered principal, premium, platinum, software and partner.
- CUPRAprincipalPrincipal sponsor of BCN eMotorsport. CUPRA is the sportscar brand of SEAT, providing significant brand visibility and support for the team's Formula Student activities.
- TE ConnectivitypremiumPremium sponsor providing connectivity and sensor solutions. TE Connectivity is a global industrial technology leader with expertise in connectivity solutions proven in harsh environments.
- DraxtonpremiumPremium sponsor - global manufacturer of cast and machined components for automotive industry with presence across 6 countries and over 4,000 employees.
- SchaefflerpremiumPremium sponsor - leading global supplier of automotive and industrial solutions known for innovation in high-precision components and systems for electric mobility.
- Applus+ IDIADApremiumPremium sponsor - global leader in automotive engineering offering comprehensive design, testing, engineering, and homologation services with cutting-edge testing facilities.
- NTT DATAplatinumPlatinum sponsor - global IT services and consulting company specializing in digital transformation with presence across more than 50 countries.
- Grupo DoverplatinumPlatinum sponsor - prominent industrial engineering company specializing in design and manufacturing of tooling solutions for automotive, aerospace, and railway sectors.
- Premium PSUplatinumPlatinum sponsor - leading provider of advanced power conversion systems including DC/DC converters, inverters, and power supplies from 50W to 72kW.
- GestampplatinumPlatinum sponsor - global leader in design, development, and manufacturing of innovative metal components for automotive industry with focus on sustainability.
- HPplatinumPlatinum sponsor - global leader in personal computing and innovative technologies including 3D printing, AI, and cloud computing solutions.
- IPG AutomotivesoftwareSoftware sponsor - leading provider of simulation and testing solutions for automotive industry, specializing in CarMaker platform for virtual testing and ADAS validation.
- AltairsoftwareSoftware sponsor - global technology company providing advanced analytics, AI, and simulation technology for engineering and data analysis.
- SOLIDWORKSsoftwareSoftware sponsor - leading 3D CAD software suite providing powerful tools for engineers and designers for product development processes.
- Lab CircuitspremiumPremium sponsor - leading European manufacturer specializing in production of printed circuit boards (PCBs) with over 40 years of experience.
- LCEM (Laboratori Comú d'Enginyeria Mecànica)premiumPremium sponsor - Common Mechanical Engineering Laboratory at UPC specializing in designing and manufacturing equipment using machining and additive manufacturing.
- DS CompositespremiumPremium sponsor - leading manufacturer of high-quality composite components specializing in resin infusion, pre-preg, and automated fiber placement.
- Avl ListpartnerPartner sponsor - world's largest independent company for development, simulation and testing of all types of powertrain systems with over 11,500 employees.
- ITK EngineeringplatinumPlatinum sponsor - global development partner headquartered in Germany with over 1,200 specialists, 100% subsidiary of Robert Bosch GmbH.
- VI-gradesoftwareSoftware sponsor - leading provider of advanced simulation software for automotive and motorsport industries specializing in virtual testing and development.
- Endolla BarcelonapartnerPartner sponsor - Barcelona's electric vehicle charging network, supporting sustainable mobility initiatives.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights4 records
BCN eMotorsport competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- AMZ Racing: ETH Zurich Formula Student team designing and racing electric and driverless cars. Direct peer to BCN eMotorsport in EV + autonomous FS focus, university competition model, and participation in the same European FS events (FS Germany, FS Austria).
- TUfast: TU Munich Formula Student team building electric and autonomous race cars. Comparable in scale, technology scope (powertrain + autonomy), and competition participation against BCN eMotorsport at top-tier European FS events.
- DUT Racing: TU Delft Formula Student team focused on electric racing and increasingly driverless development. Comparable to BCN eMotorsport as a leading European university FS team with strong engineering talent pipeline and EV/autonomous roadmap.
- GreenTeam: University of Stuttgart Formula Student team focused on electric vehicle development. Comparable to BCN eMotorsport as a German-speaking European university FS team with similar EV powertrain focus and premium sponsor relationships.
- KA-RaceIng: KIT Karlsruhe Formula Student team designing combustion and electric race cars for FS events. Comparable to BCN eMotorsport as a long-running German university racing team competing in the same FS Germany circuit.
- PoliMOVE: Politecnico di Milano autonomous racing team (notably at Indy Autonomous Challenge and FS Italy). Comparable to BCN eMotorsport in university-based autonomous racing development, multi-disciplinary engineering scope, and emphasis on perception/planning stacks.
Emerging players
- Forze Hydrogen Racing: TU Delft student team building hydrogen-electric race cars. Adjacent peer to BCN eMotorsport as a Dutch university motorsports organization pushing zero-emission propulsion, though pursuing fuel-cell rather than battery-electric and autonomous tracks.
Regional players
- Formula Student Spain competing teams (other Spanish universities): Other Spanish university Formula Student teams competing at FS Spain events. Regional peers to BCN eMotorsport within the same national competition circuit (Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya) and likely overlap in UPC-sourced recruiting and supplier networks.
Others
- Formula Student Germany (FSG): Organizer of the Formula Student Germany competition at Hockenheimring where BCN eMotorsport competes annually. Ecosystem participant rather than competitor, but a structural counterpart that defines the rules, judging and visibility surface for the team's R&D output.
Broad incumbents
- Envision Racing: Professional FIA Formula E team (and former Virgin Racing). Broad incumbent illustrating where top-tier EV motorsport careers and corporate partnerships can lead; relevant to BCN eMotorsport as the upper-bound career destination for its EV-trained alumni and as a benchmark for sponsor ROI models in electric racing.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
BCN eMotorsport social profiles
Digital presenceBCN eMotorsport financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
BCN eMotorsport leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles17 records
BCN eMotorsport funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
BCN eMotorsport M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about BCN eMotorsport
What does BCN eMotorsport do?
BCN eMotorsport is a UPC university team that designs, builds, and races single-seater Formula Student race cars capable of competing in both electric (manual) and driverless (autonomous) categories. Each season the team produces a new generation vehicle (CAT series), integrating proprietary technologies such as in-wheel motors with torque vectoring, in-house FPGA-based inverters, advanced battery systems, LiDAR/camera/IMU perception, and MPC-based planning. The team competes at four European Formula Student events per season and is funded through tiered corporate sponsorships and institutional support.
Is BCN eMotorsport a public or private company?
BCN eMotorsport is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was BCN eMotorsport founded?
BCN eMotorsport was founded in 2007.
Where is BCN eMotorsport based?
BCN eMotorsport is headquartered in Barcelona, Spain, in the Europe region.
How does BCN eMotorsport make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. University Support is the primary driver. The others are corporate Sponsorship.
Who are BCN eMotorsport's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are AMZ Racing, TUfast, DUT Racing, GreenTeam, KA-RaceIng and PoliMOVE. Forze Hydrogen Racing is listed as an emerging player. Formula Student Spain competing teams (other Spanish universities) is listed as a regional player. Formula Student Germany (FSG) is listed as an others. Envision Racing is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does BCN eMotorsport have an API?
No public API is recorded for BCN eMotorsport.
What industry is BCN eMotorsport in?
BCN eMotorsport's product category is Motorsport Engineering. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAKAGAB, Motorsports Teams & Entrants (Factory & Independent), with a secondary code of MPAKAGAH, Motorsports Support & Feeder Series (Developmental Championships). Its NAICS code is 711211 and its SIC code is 7948.