Yacaranda, the electric vehicle community team from Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM), made its mark on the international stage by claiming first place in the Static Event category at the Formula Student Malaysia (FSM) 2026 competition. The prestigious event was organized by Formula Student Malaysia and held at Dato Sagor Circuit on April 22–23, 2026, bringing together university teams from across the region to compete in designing, building, and presenting formula-style electric vehicles. Competing in the FSAE EV category with their electric car EV-4, the Yacaranda team excelled across three main evaluation criteria: Engineering Design, Cost & Manufacturing, and Business Presentation. In addition to claiming the title of 1st Place in Static Event FSAE EV at FSM 2026, the team was also honored with the Outstanding Team award a special recognition bestowed upon them as the first Indonesian team in the history of the Formula Student Malaysia competition.
The achievement is the culmination of an intensive and collaborative preparation process carried out at the Yacaranda Secretariat by team members across all divisions. Yacaranda comprises four main divisions Mechanical, Managerial, Electrical, and Chassis Aerodynamic all of which worked in close coordination to develop the Cost Manufacturing documentation, Engineering Design reports, and other technical components required for the competition. The sustained cross-divisional collaboration was essential in ensuring that the EV-4 was fully race-ready ahead of the team’s first ever overseas competition in Malaysia. The rigorous preparation process proved that a well coordinated and dedicated team can produce internationally competitive results.
Dr. Hempri Suyatna, S.Sos., M.Si., Director of Student Affairs at Universitas Gadjah Mada, extended his congratulations and commendation to Team Yacaranda for their historic achievement. He affirmed that this accomplishment reflects the genuine hard work of every team member, and expressed his hope that the innovation demonstrated at the competition would not remain within the walls of academia, but would be further developed to benefit the wider industry and society. “On behalf of Universitas Gadjah Mada, we congratulate you all on this remarkable achievement. I believe this success is the fruit of your hard work and dedication. We hope that the innovation and creativity you have demonstrated will not stop here, but will be further developed downstream so that it can bring greater benefits to industry and society. UGM remains committed to ensuring that the ecosystem of student creativity and innovation is well-maintained, generating strong synergy among the university, faculties, lecturers, and students to achieve even greater accomplishments,” he said.
Deep gratitude was also expressed by the Chair of Team Yacaranda, who reflected on the significance of the team’s historic debut at the Malaysian competition. The team leader acknowledged that simply qualifying and competing in this event exceeded expectations, and that the satisfying results achieved early in the year would serve as valuable motivation for future competitions. “We are grateful to have qualified for the first time in Malaysia. This satisfying result at the start of the year made it possible for us to receive this award,” said the team chair.
The success of Team Yacaranda would not have been possible without the wholehearted support of the many parties who contributed to the team’s journey toward this international competition. Support from the Department of Mechanical Engineering at UGM’s Vocational School, the UGM Directorate of Student Affairs, as well as various partners and sponsors provided the foundation that allowed the team to prepare to the highest standard. This achievement is hoped to serve as motivation for Team Yacaranda to remain consistent in advancing electric vehicle research within the university and to build an even stronger track record at future international competitions. Beyond the victory itself, this milestone opens a path for UGM students to continue making their presence felt on the international automotive engineering stage, proudly representing Indonesia.
Author: Naja Ganiswara Ramadhani
Editing: Ahmad Yuana Putra