SDU Vikings is a student organization that competes in Formula Student - the world’s largest engineering competition with over 1200 universities.
Formula Student
The competition is divided into several parts, where the car competes in four dynamic events, such as classical time trials, and in static events that are presented to a jury. In the static events, students are evaluated on their technical knowledge, business plan, cost analysis, and overall presentation skills.
History
SDU Vikings has existed since 2006 and is one of the oldest and one of the largest student organizations at SDU’s Faculty of Engineering. Many former team members now hold positions in companies such as Zenvo Automotive, Mercedes AMG High Performance Powertrains, Universal Robots and many more.
Organization
The more than 150 members of SDU Vikings are spread across the campuses in Odense and Sønderborg. The team has grown significantly over the past years, and its professionalism has grown with a strong focus on organization, finance and social media. The team designs, simulates, manufactures, and assembles its race car entirely from the ground up.
Ongoing and future projects are coordinated at the management meetings, after which responsibilities are delegated to experienced members who form project teams to carry out the work. This structure ensures high project quality and that each SDU Vikings member is assigned responsibilities that match their skills and stage of study.
About SDU Vikings
- SDU Vikings competes in Formula Student, the largest engineering competition in the world.
- The team trains highly skilled engineers and students through hands-on experience, industry-standard practices, and interdisciplinary collaboration.
- With a strong racing heritage, SDU Vikings has a long history of developing race cars and improving performance year after year.
- One of the largest student organizations at SDU, with over 150 members across the Odense and Sønderborg campuses.
- SDU Vikings was the best-performing Danish team at Formula Student UK 2024.
- The teams 12th car, Viking XII, will be ready for the 2026 season.
The future of SDU Vikings
SDU Vikings continues to receive full support from the Faculty of Engineering at SDU and has been granted a budget to participate in the competition. In 2024, the team competed at Formula Student United Kingdom and in 2025, the team competed at Formula Student Netherlands.
For the 2026 season, a brand-new car needs to be ready. Viking XII is currently under development and testing of the new car will begin in late spring 2026.
Training engineers for the industry
SDU Vikings facilities and network offer students the opportunity to develop their skills in cutting-edge technologies through bachelor’s and master’s projects.
Students gain practical experience with electric powertrains, high- and low-voltage system, and isolation techniques between them. They work hands-on with batteries, motors, motor controllers, inverters and converters, as well as signal monitoring and Battery Management System (BMS) programming.
SDU Vikings provides students with a unique opportunity to put theory into practice and prepare for future careers in the engineering industry.