Building Colby’s First Formula Electric Race Car

Colby Formula Electric (CFE) is a student-led initiative bringing together students from across the College to design, build, and eventually race a formula-style electric vehicle.

The project combines the applied sciences with the liberal arts. Students studying physics, mathematics, data science, statistics, economics, astrophysics, global studies, public policy, and other fields are working together across structural design, electrical systems, fabrication, programming, finance, project management, operations, and communications.

Their goal is ambitious: bring Colby’s first Formula Electric car to competition in 2027.

Learning by Building

Building an electric race car requires much more than assembling parts. Students must make hundreds of interconnected decisions involving performance, safety, cost, design, and feasibility.

A decision as seemingly straightforward as selecting a wheel can affect brake and hub packaging, vehicle weight, structural efficiency, cost, and the work required from other systems. Every choice requires students to weigh tradeoffs, communicate across teams, and turn theory into something that can actually be built.

Through this process, CFE gives students the opportunity to develop skills that are difficult to replicate in a classroom alone:

• Designing and integrating mechanical and electrical systems
• Fabricating, testing, and refining physical components
• Writing code and analyzing vehicle data
• Managing budgets, timelines, and complex projects
• Building partnerships and securing resources
• Communicating technical ideas across disciplines

Each student brings a different area of expertise to the team, and together they are learning how to solve problems that do not belong to any one major or discipline.

Building a Program That Lasts

CFE’s vision extends beyond a single car or competition.

The President’s Office has provided $25,000 in seed funding to help launch the project. With that foundation in place, the team is working to create a sustainable, student-driven engineering program with a dedicated workspace, tools and fabrication resources, partnerships beyond Mayflower Hill, and a structure that future student leaders can inherit and improve.

The roadmap is ambitious: build now, race in 2027, and compete for the podium by 2030.

Along the way, students will need to equip their workshop, purchase and fabricate components, test systems, transport the vehicle, and prepare for competition. Each of these steps helps move the team closer to the starting line while building the infrastructure for future generations of Colby students.

A car can race for a season. A program can educate students for decades.

Your support helps Colby Formula Electric move from design to fabrication, from fabrication to competition, and from an ambitious student project to a lasting part of the Colby experience.