Nîmes IUT goes green!

Created in 2010, the SMVE (Solutions de Motorisation pour Véhicules Electriques) platform at theIUT de Nîmes promotes the Institute's expertise in the field of motorization through the design of electric vehicle prototypes. This approach is aimed at manufacturers in the sector, with a view to the large-scale marketing of new, clean vehicles. Take a guided tour.

"Like society as a whole, all the departments at our Institute are moving towards sustainable development. In the GEII [1] department, the promotion of clean energies and green mechanics is perfectly in line with this trend" , explains Jean-François Dubé, Director of theNîmes IUT. At the end of 2010, Daniel Matt, head of the GEII department, initiated the creation of a practical workspace within the Institute dedicated exclusively to the development of student projects around electric motorization. " The SMVE (Solutions de Motorisation pour Véhicules Electriques) platform specializes in the design, manufacture and testing of high-performance electric vehicles," explains Daniel Matt, head of the platform and teacher-researcher in
electrical engineering.
At the heart of the Institute, in the 200-square-meter hangar housing the platform, first and second-year DUT and professional license students learn how to design and build the various components of an electric drive train (battery, static converters, electromechanical converters, etc.). The atmosphere is both friendly and serious. Safety instructions must be respected, as most of the work on electric vehicles is carried out under voltage. "Electrified go-karts in particular are manufactured here. In fact, this is the historical activity of the SMVE platform. It's an activity that rapidly diversified to meet the demand from professionals", says a student busy at his computer, surrounded by various prototypes.

[1 ] Electrical Engineering and Industrial Computing.

Race car, vineyard tractor...

In 2012, in partnership withÉcole des Mines d'Alès then in charge of mechanical engineering, GEII students designed their first "all-electric" racing car. A project that led a dozen students from theNîmes IUT at School Trophy organized by Society of Automotive Engineers (SIA). The vehicle won the awards for safety, perceived quality and styling, before being presented in Paris at the Paris Motor Show. In 2016, the prototype finally took 3rd place in the Lépine Competition where he won the prestigious Assemblée Nationale prize. "The latest vehicle designed on the SMVE platform is an electric vineyard tractor.says Daniel Matt.

At the beginning of November, this non-polluting agricultural machine was also a great success at the SITEVI - International exhibition of equipment and know-how for vine and wine production. Designed to meet the pressing demands of organic winegrowers wishing to demonstrate greater consistency in their ecological approach, the prototype features one electric motor per wheel, giving it a phenomenal four times sixty horsepower and four hours' ploughing autonomy. A vehicle that is now the pride and joy of the students (and former students!) of the GEII department of the Nîmes IUT and awaits its rapid commercialization for large-scale distribution to organic wine producers here and abroad. A bon entendeur...

A student's view of the IUT

Dylan Briant, 21, student in a G.U.E.R. professional degree program

"A car enthusiast from an early age, I expressed my interest in car mechanics at a very early age, through repairing, customizing and even improving the performance of motor vehicles. After a general scientific baccalaureate, this hobby led me to enter theIUT of Nîmes, where my two years of DUT in Electrical Engineering and Industrial Computing (GEII ) gave me the opportunity to take professionalization based on my hobby and thus combine business with pleasure!

This experience - and in particular the numerous practical work sessions at the SMVE (Solution de Motorisation pour Véhicules Électriques) platform - also introduced me to environmental issues and made me more the need to improve vehicle performance with maximum respect for the environment.

I'm currently studying for a vocational degree in GUER (management and use of renewable energies), and I'm currently fine-tuning my career plan. project. In line with my two successive training courses, I hope soon to be joining an automotive manufacturing to contribute to the design of new vehicle models that are both cleaner and more efficient than those already on the road in the booming electric vehicle market.

Key figures

  • 27,700 m2 on 5 ha
  • 1,167 students of 15 nationalities
  • 90 teachers and researchers
  • 46 administrative and technical staff
  • 219 professional speakers
  • 5 DUTs and 14 professional licenses
  • 219 professional speakers
  • 5 departments : GC, GEII, GMP, GEA, SGM