Electric Racing Miskolc

Electric Racing Miskolc

Electric Racing Miskolc is an initiative group of volunteering students located in Hungary, Miskolc, where team members can gather extensive understanding and experience in the automotive industry and various fields of motorsport. They can learn the true meaning of teamwork, as well as use their knowledge in practice.

The project provides opportunity to become familiar with the usage of the most advanced technologies, as well as offering an indirect way to the industrial companies for the students who are involved.

The team members are students of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Informatics, Economics and Materials Sciences, who participate in the basic and master’s degree program of the region’s most significant institution of higher education.

Besides providing the human resources, the University of Miskolc also provides the operation for the Electric Racing Miskolc with significant professional, infrastructural, financial support, and personal relations.

The interests and extra activities of the team members include the automotive industry and there are several the national and regional scientific students’ competitions as well as thesis works to prove it. It is natural that the members of the Electric Racing Miskolc are willing to invest their free time into research and development of the project, proving their dedication to and success for the Formula Student movement.

As we are a first-year team, our main goal is to attend our first ever race in the electric category, in 2024. As our long-term plan, we would like to implement our own self-driving system on our car, to attend the autonomous contests as well.

AMS (Accumulator Management System)

In our electric vehicle, the accumulator management system is crucial for maintaining the overall health and efficiency of each cell within the accumulator. It also ensures that the accumulator operates safely within specified limits during competitions. The master board collects information from the slave boards, transmitting relevant data about the accumulator to the telemetry system, and triggering the shutdown circuit in case of critical errors.

The AMS slave boards have various technical functions, including monitoring, managing, and protecting the complex components of the accumulator system. One mayor role of the slave boards is to monitor voltage levels. The boards consistently measure and monitor every cell’s voltage, generating a data stream to the Master Board for centralised analysis. The slave boards also monitor the cells for overvoltage, undervoltage and temperature anomalies, and then report these faults immediately to the master board to trigger corrective action.

To ensure consistency and prevent issues such as overcharging or over-discharging, the AMS Slave Boards incorporate balancing features. This guarantees an even distribution of energy among cells.

In order to ensure secure and interference-free communication with the master board, the accumulator management slave boards interface using the isolated SPI protocol. This protocol guarantees reliable data transmission by sustaining electrical isolation from external factors, thus enhancing the communication network’s resilience.

Data logging forms a critical aspect of the AMS responsibilities, as they capture and archive historical data involving voltage, temperature, SoC, and fault events. This data acts as a valuable resource for post-analysis and diagnostics, helping to evaluate system performance continuously.

In summary, the tasks undertaken by AMS boards are vital to the smooth operation of our electric vehicle’s energy storage system. These boards play a crucial role in increasing the dependability, safety, and efficiency of the overall management system, ensuring the longevity and optimal functioning of individual cells.

Voltage Indicator Board

In the world of Formula Student electric vehicles, it is highly important to maintain safety and effectively monitor high voltage components. This system is specifically designed to detect and display the presence of high voltage (defined as exceeding 60 VDC) on the connectors of the accumulator container.

To achieve this, a dedicated voltage indicator system should be implemented. Electric vehicles are using high voltages which is a health and safety risk. It is important to notify team members and personnel when the voltage surpasses the set threshold. Our voltage indicator provides an instant visual reference point, allowing the team to monitor the vehicle’s electrical health in real-time. A dedicated PCB is necessary to achieve this. This dedicated PCB is engineered to detect voltage on the accumulator connectors and handle the maximum accumulator voltage, which can exceed 450 VDC. Enduring high voltage is critical for the voltage indicator system to operate continuously and reliably in diverse conditions, such as testing, race events, and routine checks. The inclusion of this dedicated PCB is in accordance with safety protocols, guaranteeing that the team is immediately informed of any potential risks linked to increased voltage levels.

In summary, the integration of a dedicated PCB for voltage indication in our car is an example of a proactive approach to safety and system monitoring. This specialized system helps our team to comply with safety regulations and improve the overall reliability of our electric car.

With the support of Eurocircuits, Electric Racing Miskolc is able to work with the highest quality PCBs during the development stages, and their reliable PCBs ensure flawless operation even in the harsh environment of a racing car.