The KOOKMIN RACING team (hereinafter “KORA”), a student-built electric vehicle club affiliated with the College of Automotive Mobility at Kookmin University (President Jeong Seung Ryul), placed 8th overall at the “2026 Formula SAE Electric” World Championship, held over five days from Tuesday, June 16, to Saturday, June 20, at Michigan International Speedway in the United States.

Organized by the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE), “Formula SAE Electric” is a student-built electric vehicle competition featuring participation from over 100 universities worldwide. Participating teams are comprehensively evaluated on their design capabilities, driving performance, and durability based on electric formula cars they have designed and built themselves.

KORA’s F-26 is an electric formula car developed with the goal of “ensuring high stability and excellent dynamic performance across all events.” Thanks to its stable electrical system and high build quality, the team advanced to the finals in the Design Event—which evaluates the vehicle’s design, manufacturing, improvement, and validation processes—and ultimately placed 12th.

KORA also achieved strong results in the Dynamic Event, which evaluates driving performance. The team placed 9th in the Skidpad Event and 11th in the Autocross Event. In the Endurance Event, which assesses vehicle durability, KORA secured 3rd place overall thanks to fast lap times and stable driving performance. Furthermore, the team demonstrated improved build quality and competitiveness compared to its previous vehicle across all competition categories, achieving 8th place worldwide in just its second appearance at this event.

This achievement is also significant as a result of Kookmin University’s specialization in the mobility sector, which is being promoted through its mid- to long-term development strategy, “KMU VISION 2035: EDGE.” It is particularly noteworthy that in the mobility sector—one of the university’s eight specialized fields—students personally carried out the entire process, from electric vehicle design and manufacturing to driving verification and performance improvement, thereby demonstrating their practical research and development capabilities on the global stage.

Jo Hyun-sung (Automotive Engineering ’21), who served as project manager for the KORA F-26 team, shared his thoughts: “Through this competition, we were able to showcase the excellence of Kookmin University’s automotive engineering program on the world stage.” He added, “It was a valuable experience that allowed me to broaden my horizons and learn a great deal. I would like to thank Kookmin University and our sponsoring companies for providing this opportunity, as well as my teammates who journeyed with me every step of the way.”

Shin Sung Hwan, Dean of the College of Automotive Mobility at Kookmin University and the KORA team’s faculty advisor, said, “I am proud of the KORA students who competed against leading universities worldwide in the electric formula category and achieved the remarkable result of 8th place overall in just their second year of participation.” He added, “I am grateful to the university administration for their support in helping us achieve this outstanding result and to the students for their passion and dedication. We will continue to strive to cultivate talent in the field of future mobility.”

△ KOOKMIN RACING (KORA), the Kookmin University Student-Built Car Club

△ KORA from Kookmin University Finishes 8th Overall at the U.S. FSAE Competition