Numerical and experimental study on aerodynamic design for the rear wing of an electric sports car

The rear wing is a core component determining the aerodynamic downforce of sports cars. In the design of electric sports cars, its aerodynamic development faces a fundamental contradiction: enhancing downforce to improve handling stability while minimizing the accompanying drag increase to ensure vehicle range. This study focuses on the rear wing of an electric sports car. Combining computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations with full-scale wind tunnel testing, the aerodynamic characteristics of the wing element—including airfoil selection, angle of attack, aerodynamic twist, and support structure—were systematically investigated within the real vehicle flow field. Furthermore, the time-averaged and dynamic characteristics of the aerodynamic loads on the wing itself were measured in detail. An optimized rear wing configuration with excellent aerodynamic performance was obtained: employing the S1223 airfoil with an aerodynamic twist of 2.5° at the mid-section and 6.5° at the tips, matched with a top-mounted support structure. This configuration contributed a significant downforce gain (–ΔC_L= 0.293) to the whole vehicle while keeping the drag increase at a relatively low level (ΔC_D= 0.020), resulting in an aerodynamic efficiency η of 13.4. Dynamic load analysis further revealed two distinct characteristic frequencies in the aerodynamic load spectrum: one is a fixed frequency of 12 Hz, corresponding to the first bending mode of the structure; the other is a velocity-dependent frequency, calibrated to a Strouhal number of Sr= 0.134, indicating its relation to periodic flow structures. The results demonstrate that aerodynamic twist design tailored to the three-dimensional incoming flow over the vehicle rear is an effective approach for optimizing rear-wing performance and balancing downforce against drag. Simultaneously, the characteristic frequencies and Strouhal number identified in the tests provide key parameters and a theoretical basis for the dynamic design and vibration fatigue assessment of the rear-wing structure.