BLUE SKY SOLAR RACING: ELECTRICAL TEAM

BLUE SKY SOLAR RACING:
ELECTRICAL TEAM
Kevin Rupasinghe, Mii Cheil Tan, Maria Xie
World Solar Challenge
3000km race across Australian outback
¨  First to the finish wins
¨  Entirely solar powered
¨  5 days to drive the entire
distance
¨ 
Why bother with an electrical team?
Why bother with an electrical team?
Solar car = solar powered electric vehicle
¨  Electric motor, motor controller, batteries, radio, rear
view camera, cruise control, accelerator, brake,
lights, and more
¨  Receiving, handling, converting, storing, & using the
electrical energy provided by solar cells
¨ 
Design Problem
1. INPUT
3. OUTPUT
2. BUFFER
Composition of the Electrical Team
¨ 
Array
¤  maximizing
¨ 
Power Train
¤  distributing
¨ 
energy collection through solar array
energy across the solar vehicle
Telemetry and Strategy
¤  collecting
data and developing an appropriate
strategy for the race
Power Train
¨ 
High Voltage System
¨ 
Low Voltage System
¤  Batteries
¤  Sensors
¤  Motor
¤  Motor
¤  Array
¤  Lights
Controller
¤  Radio
¤  Driver
¤  Etc.
Control
Power Train: High Voltage System
Power Train: High Voltage System
Power Train: Low Voltage System
Solar Cells
Array
What is a Solar Cell?
¨  How Solar Cells Work?
¨  Cell Choice
¨  Intro to PPTs
¨ 
Array: What is a Solar Cell
Array: How Solar Cells Work?
Ohm’s Law
Ohm My God!
Ohm’s Law
V = I·∙R
voltage [V] = current [A] x resistance [Ω]
Electrical Power
P = V·∙I
power [W] = voltage [V] x current [I]
Array: Intro to PPTs
¨ 
PPT = Peak Power Tracker
¤  aka
MPPTs (Maximum Power Point Tracker)
Array: Intro to PPTs
Array: Intro to PPTs
Telemetry/Strategy: Telemetry
¨ 
Telemetry: collecting and monitoring car data and
relaying the information through radio to remote
laptop
¤  speed
profile
¤  weather profile
¤  battery data
¨ 
¤  power
consumption
¤  array input
¤  energy available
Strategy: coming up with a plan to drive the car,
based on the telemetry data, such that the car is
driving at its maximum efficiency
Electrical Workshops (Dates TBD)
Battery Maintenance
¨  Altium 101
¨ 
¤  introduction
¨ 
to schematic and pcb designing
Altium Applications
¤  design
your own circuit
Soldering
¨  Testing/Debugging
¨ 
¤  using
debugging tools, lab tools
Q&A