Founded in 1925, ESTACA (École Supérieure des Techniques Aéronautiques et de Construction Automobile) is a member of the “Conférence des Grandes Ecoles”, a group of several engineering schools in France. ESTACA is highly specialized in the fields of aeronautics, automotive, space and guided transport industries. The training courses constantly evolve to meet the requirement of companies and adapt to the emergence of new technologies or disciplines. ESTACA’s graduates undertake the design, development and production of transport systems and components. The school’s expertise is well recognized by the industry, which has ranked it among the best engineering schools for the quality of its graduates.
Facts:
- Advanced postgraduate degree in engineering right after the French “BAC”
- A school which is specialized in 4 transportation fields : aeronautical, automotive, space and railway
- 2 campus : ESTACA-Paris and ESTACA Campus-Ouest in Laval, Mayenne
- Personnalized teaching that meet the industries requirements
- Students have access to high technology equipment with 6 laboratories
- The international experience is mandatory
- Graduate Engineer School entitled by “Commission des Titres d’ingenieurs”
Networks:
- ISAE group, Institut Supérieur de l’Aéronautique et de l’Espace
- CGE, Conférence des Grandes Ecoles
- UGEI, Union des Grandes Ecoles Indépendantes
- ConcoursAvenir, (founder member)
- Campus France, International promotion of high level French education
- N+i, The “n+i” network is a consortium of 70 French engineering Grandes Ecoles, who have chosen to pool their international co-operation actions
- Elles bougent, (founder member)
- Competitiveness clusters Astech, Moveo, IDforCar,EMC2, System@tic
- PRES UPGO, Université Paris Grand Ouest
- PEEGO, Pôle Entreprenariat Etudiant Grand ouest
The automotive program
Environment, security, comfort, reliability and energy optimization – these are the main areas being researched by manufacturers in the automobile sector for designing the new vehicles of the future.
Equipment suppliers and large manufacturers need engineers for producing new products, new technologies and new manufacturing processes, and also for performing tests, organizing production and researching the market.
Specialized training and privileged contact with companies
ESTACA’s “Automobile” specialization provides preparation for all of these jobs. Indeed, approximately 400 hours of training are provided by engineers from Renault, PSA, Valéo, Bosch, Faurecia, etc.
At least 4 implementation projects for developing work in project mode, as part of a team and promoting the spirit of innovation. Some examples:
- Preliminary project on the architecture of future vehicles.
- Design of a braking system for a given vehicle.
- Development of a low-consumption engine to meet the requirements of the Shell eco-marathon.
- “Discovering the company” course in the 1st year at the Motor Museum: renovating old engines.
- “Engineer’s work-experience course” in the 4th year at PSA-Peugeot Citroën: research for acoustic insulation of automobile passenger spaces.
- “End of studies work-experience course” in 5th year – optimization of stress lanes for an automobile structure for weight improvement at iso performance for crash tests at PSA-Peugeot Citroën.
The main employers of ESTACA engineers in the automobile sector are PSA, Renault, Bosch, Valéo, Faurecia, Delphi…
Associations for expressing students’ interests
The PV3e and its powertrain: 2,701 km with 1 liter of petrol! An association that designs and builds energy-efficient vehicles which take part to Shell-Eco marathons (Where the aim is to travel a maximum distance with 1 liter of petrol).
Let’s invent the transport of tomorrow (ITD): This association designs innovative vehicles and creates prototypes.
A racing team for automobile sports enthusiasts: ICAE lets students take part in the life of an automobile racing team by participating in “coupe de France” rallies with a Rally 106 group N2 Restoration of old vehicles.
RACE restores old vehicles and organizes the “Grandes Ecoles” rally.
Enthusiasm for Renault 4L: Estacatrelle bring together 4L enthusiasts for rallies.
Those who enjoy go-kart racing are grouped within EMOS.
[colored_box variation=”moss green” title=”Thierry Moulène (2004 graduate) Cofounder and Technical Director of Lumeneo”]
Creating a company to design ultra-compact electric cars
After graduating, I participated in producing the Peugeot 907 concept car at the PSA style center and three other concept cars for Renault and Nissan. At the same time, I worked on an idea for a reclining tandem to solve the problems of urban circulation. A patent was filed in 2004. In 2006, with my father, we decided to create a company to build a demonstration vehicle. Thus, our first Lumeneo concept was born: the “Smera”, an electric two-seater half way between a scooter and a city-car based on the principle of the tilting four-wheel vehicle. We then worked on an electric, ultra-compact 4-seater, the “Neoma” that was presented at the 2010 Motor Show. Our company is also developing technological solutions for external companies, always based on our two domains of competency: electric motors and ultra-compact vehicle architecture. We provide a solution to the dual issue of city traffic: pollution and traffic congestion. Today, Lumeneo has 20 employees and we are planning to hire ten or so in 2012, and probably as many in 2013. ESTACA gave me the automobile culture that I couldn’t have found anywhere else. Association experience with ITD (Inventing the Transport of Tomorrow) was also highly educational as it enabled me early on to deal with the practical problems of implementing a concept. [/colored_box]
To get more information about ESTACA, visit www.estaca.fr/en.