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Honors Theses Ogden Honors College

4-2022

Design Report of the 2022 High Voltage Battery Pack and System
for FSAE TigerRacing Electric Vehicle
Clay Knight

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Part of the Electrical and Computer Engineering Commons

Recommended Citation
Knight, Clay, "Design Report of the 2022 High Voltage Battery Pack and System for FSAE TigerRacing
Electric Vehicle" (2022). Honors Theses. 798.
https://repository.lsu.edu/honors_etd/798

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 Design Report of the 2022 High Voltage
Battery Pack and System for FSAE TigerRacing Electric Vehicle

by

Clay Knight

Undergraduate honors thesis under the direction of

Dr. Mehdi Farasat

Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering

Submitted to the LSU Roger Hadfield Ogden Honors College in partial fulfillment
of
the Upper Division Honors Program.

April 2022

Louisiana State University

& Agricultural and Mechanical College
Baton Rouge, Louisiana
1
Table of Contents
Abstract ........................................................................................................................................... 4

Author and Project Introduction ..................................................................................................... 5

Background ..................................................................................................................................... 5

FSAE Guiding Rules ................................................................................................................... 6

Previous Design .............................................................................................................................. 8

Issues and Existing Progress ....................................................................................................... 8

Safety Concerns........................................................................................................................... 8
Battery Pack ............................................................................................................................. 8
Battery Housing ....................................................................................................................... 9
Design Requirements ...................................................................................................................... 9

Concepts Evaluated ....................................................................................................................... 10

Battery Connections .................................................................................................................. 10

Metallic Strips........................................................................................................................ 10
Metallic Rolls ........................................................................................................................ 10
Prebuilt Cell Building Blocks ................................................................................................ 10
Module Insulation ..................................................................................................................... 11
Tape Style Insulation ............................................................................................................. 11
Plastic Sheeting Insulation..................................................................................................... 12
Foam Insulation ..................................................................................................................... 12
Analysis......................................................................................................................................... 13

Battery Module Layouts ............................................................................................................ 13

Chosen Design ....................................................................................................................... 15
MATLAB Calculations ............................................................................................................. 16
Wire Gauge ............................................................................................................................... 18
Discharge Curves ...................................................................................................................... 19
Single Battery Discharge ........................................................................................................... 20
¼ Load on One Module............................................................................................................. 22
25kW Load on Full Battery ....................................................................................................... 24
Bus Bar Dimensions .................................................................................................................. 26

2
Block Diagram of Subsystem ....................................................................................................... 26

Manufacturing ............................................................................................................................... 27

Overall Ideal Plan ...................................................................................................................... 27

Testing Plans ............................................................................................................................. 27
Housing Test Plan.................................................................................................................. 27
Battery Load Test Plan .......................................................................................................... 28
Tests Conducted ........................................................................................................................ 29
Single Cell Discharge Test .................................................................................................... 29
Module Load Tests ................................................................................................................ 30
Setbacks as of Time of Writing ................................................................................................. 32
Future Improvements .................................................................................................................... 33

Wiring Diagram......................................................................................................................... 35
Ideal Timeline ........................................................................................................................... 36
Testing Timeline ....................................................................................................................... 37

3
Abstract

Figure 1: Main Components of the High Voltage Battery Pack Rendered by Josh Brooks

During the senior year of an undergraduate degree in Electrical Engineering at LSU,

students must complete a senior design project. This involves designing and manufacturing of a

project and all project management associated. This paper presents the design of one subsystem,

the high voltage battery pack, for the 2021-2022 Project 48. Project 48’s objective is to design a

rules-compliant, safe, and optimized electric drivetrain to enable future LSU TigerRacing teams

to win the electric vehicle category in the Formula Society of Automotive Engineers design

competition. Two prior teams have attempted this project without successful completion. This

team has built on their progress to present a working prototype to the project sponsor for future

implementations.

4
Author and Project Introduction

My name is Clay Knight and presented is my design report of the Capstone project. I am

a graduating senior in Electrical Engineering, and my focus is on industrial power distribution.

My experience includes being an electrician across multiple shipyards and an internship in

Electrical Design Engineering at BASF. I have accepted a full-time position with BASF as a

design engineer post-graduation.

During the first two weeks of the fall semester, students are presented a multitude of

projects by their perspective sponsors. The two TigerRacing projects caught my attention as they

are some of the only Electrical Engineering heavy projects presented. The TigerRacing electric

vehicle (EV) project specifically was my first choice as it involved creating an entire drivetrain

and associated controls for a racecar. In this paper, the battery pack is discussed in different

units. One hundred eighty-four individual battery cells make up a module and four modules

make up the high voltage battery pack. Unless noted otherwise, work presented in this paper is

my own.

Background

The Formula Society of Automotive Engineers (FSAE) is a collegiate design competition

where universities design and build a formula-style open-wheeled racecar each year and compete

against each other. TigerRacing has had much success with their internal combustion car, but

they are looking to race in the recently developed electric vehicle category. They tasked the team

with designing and building a working EV that is comparable, preferably better, to the internal

combustion (IC) car in the 2018 IC chassis. After a successful design and model is complete, the

TigerRacing team will be able to duplicate the drivetrain and controls in a new frame to race in

5
competition. This project has been attempted by two capstone teams before without successfully

producing a working vehicle; however, the previous team made great strides and left many of the

large parts behind for a new team to figure out how to make work together. These include all the

main parts of the drivetrain: motor, motor controller, battery management system, and the battery

cells.

FSAE Guiding Rules

The Formula Society of Automotive Engineers has a combined rule book where they

release new versions throughout the year detailing rules applicable to all racing vehicles and

features sections explicitly directed at electric vehicles. To begin, FSAE uses some non-

traditional terms and abbreviations throughout the rules to refer to different parts and systems.

The main definitions needed are as follows. [Formula SAE Rules 2022 2021]

EV.1.1 Tractive System – TS

Every part electrically connected to the Motor(s) and/or Accumulator(s)

EV.1.2 Grounded Low Voltage - GLV

Every electrical part that is not part of the Tractive System

EV.1.3 Accumulator

All the battery cells or super capacitors that store the electrical energy to

be used by the Tractive System

The following is a condensation of the key rules applicable to the high voltage battery

pack, and its related system. There are also guidelines for required documentation of each

component and wiring system. [Formula SAE Rules 2022 2021]

6
 EV.4.1.1 The maximum power drawn from the Accumulator must not exceed 80

kW.

EV.4.1.2 The maximum permitted voltage that may occur between any two points

must not exceed 600 V DC

EV.4.2.3 All power supplying the Tractive System must flow through the Energy

Meter.

EV.6.1.2 Each Accumulator Segment must contain:

Maximum static voltage of less than 120 V DC

Maximum energy of 6 MJ

EV.6.2.3 Each Accumulator Segment must be electrically insulated with suitable

Nonflammable Material (F.1.18) (not air) between the segments in the container

and on top of the segment

EV.6.3.2 Maintenance Plugs must:

a. Require the physical removal or separation of a component. Contactors

or switches are not acceptable Maintenance Plugs

b. Not be physically possible to connect in any configuration other than

the design intended configuration

EV.6.4.2 The Accumulator Isolation Relays must:

a. Be a Normally Open type

b. Open both poles of the Accumulator

7
Previous Design

Issues and Existing Progress

This is the third iteration of this specific senior design project. The first team had

designed their vehicle; however, they were disbanded due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The second

team made great strides in furthering the design of an electric racecar. This team fell short when

designing and implementing a homemade battery management system. They spent too much

time focused on this and were unsuccessful in welding and connecting their battery modules. The

second team did purchase all the main, expensive drivetrain components that this team reused.

This includes the motor, motor controller (inverter), battery management system, and the battery

cells themselves. At the conclusion of their assembly, they could only get the car to go five miles

per hour with a single battery module strapped to the overhead rollover bar of the vehicle.

Safety Concerns

Battery Pack

The first concern of the team is the arcing of the battery pack that needs to be addressed.

During assembly in the previous year, one of the battery modules arced on the welding table

creating a fire that had to be extinguished. This module will need to be evaluated for each cell’s

effectiveness and the arcing possibility limited. The team will take proper pre-cautions this year

to mitigate issues when handling the batteries like wearing high voltage gloves and ensuring that

the workbench is of a non-conductive material.

8
 Left: Image of Battery Pack Post Fire; Right: Damaged Module Separated in Containers

Battery Housing

The previous team did not properly implement a steel or aluminum housing as required

per the FSAE rules. The single battery module that did work was put into an oversized high

density polyethylene container which was then strapped to the rollover bar of the vehicle by duct

tape. This oversized housing allowed too much movement of the module resulting in arcing

occurring. After the current team disassembled the damaged module, approximately 20% of the

cells from that module were disposed.

Design Requirements

The design requirements of the high voltage battery pack were driven by MATLAB and

Optimum Lap simulations as well as real-life data from the internal-combustion car. Optimum

Lap simulations were done over a 22km course to see how much energy would be needed to

complete the course with the vehicle. After each team member compared their specifications, it

was determined that the battery needed a minimum voltage around 280 volts, 50 amps nominal

current peaking around 90 amps, and a capacity of 4.886kWh.

9
Concepts Evaluated

Battery Connections

Metallic Strips

It is known that each series connection is about 20 amps maximum. From that, a chart

like that for wire gauge was sought detailing the different sizes and materials of wiring strips for

batteries. It was found that the strips would need to be 8mm wide by 0.7mm thick for nickel or

5mm wide by 0.3mm thick for copper. This would be about equivalent to a 16 AWG wire.

(Ampacity of Battery Metal Strips 2016) There was a desire to not use multiple strips as the previous

team did as it leads to too many points of failure on the connection.

Metallic Rolls

There are now manufacturers who make metallic rolls in a standard grid pattern for

18650 cells. These can come in any length and up to twelve cells wide. The spacing between

cells must be able to work with the existing plastic spacers used to construct a battery module.

One preferred style was found which used a thinner piece of metal at each cell, so if the cell

discharged more than twenty amps, the metal would melt at just that cell. This would essentially

protect the module by fusing each cell. Rolls were found in multiple metals including the desired

nickel or copper, but some (mainly those on Amazon) did not provide thickness or ampacity in

details.

Prebuilt Cell Building Blocks

After reviewing other collegiate FSAE teams’ designs, it was discovered that multiple

teams used an oversea’ s manufacturer called Energus Power Solutions. (Design Report of the High

Voltage Battery Pack for Formula SAE Electric 2016) (LI2X4P25R: Li-Ion Building Block 3.6v/20ah/18c)

10
This company makes "building blocks" specifically for 18650 cells. They come in different cell

dimensions and include a variety of necessary features. The key feature about this is that each

block is fused and has a micro-PCB for cell monitoring and temperature collection. It is designed

to connect to their BMS, but they do sell the harness for other BMS integration. After that, the

blocks get bolted to each other in whatever desired connection style using copper bars. The

drawback of this is the cost; each block is about $75.00 USD. Even if this team cannot

implement this, it should be a goal of future iterations of the vehicle to upgrade the battery

connections to this much safer and easier style.

Module Insulation

The battery will feature two stacks of two modules of cells. For insulation, the team and

LSU PCB Lab have on hand HDPE (High Density Polyethylene) sheets from the previous year’s

team. This provides a sturdy and protective layer between cell modules but will be improved

upon to ensure full electric isolation between layers of cells. This is enough insulation per FSAE

rules, but additional insulation will be added to ensure proper insulation. This shall be

accomplished by anodizing the aluminum housing, as well as covering the inside of the housing

with electrically insulating paper. Paper alone is what failed the last team, so it was not included

in the decision matrix.

Tape Style Insulation

A tape style insulation would be beneficially to insulate individual cells since it has

adhesion properties. However, it is difficult to make a solid layer out of multiple strands of tape.

(i.e., Kapton Tape). This tape could also be at risk for friction related tearing due to its thinness.

11
 Plastic Sheeting Insulation

Provides rigid insulation layer between cell packs and can give uninterrupted protection

per each layer; this means less chance for arcing. HDPE is a sturdy plastic that would be great

due to its robustness in applications where it will face frictionally wear due to rubbing of the

cells when the vehicle is cornering.

Foam Insulation

This would provide uninterrupted protection, but this style of insulation is bad for its heat

dissipation properties. Foam insulation is what is typically used around car batteries to protect

them from engine heat or keep warm for cold starts, but this is a negative effect for this race

vehicle because heat should be dissipated as much as possible.

Table 1: Decision Matrix for Battery Module Insulation

12
Analysis

Battery Module Layouts

Five different module possibilities were evaluated. The team wanted the modules to be

the same size for ease of install and duplication for spares and replacement. Values such as

power, voltage, energy, and weight were found per string, per module, and in totality. The pack

needed to have enough capacity to ensure competition of the endurance competition and enough

power for proper speed. The design was constrained by FSAE rules and the reused BMS. The

max BMS voltage was 388V. (Lithium Ion Battery Management System - Orion BMS 2019) The team

started with three modules which failed constraints or desired variables. Two more combinations

were then evaluated, and the team agreed on a four (4) module battery with twenty-three (23)

series by eight (8) parallel connections. This satisfied all design constraints and subsystem

requirements. Key specifications of the system are a 331.2 Vdc nominal output with 6.622kWh

of capacity and a power output of 52.99kW possible.

Constraints
Power 80kW
Voltage 600V
Voltage/segment 120V
BMS Taps 108
Energy/segment 6MJ
BMS Voltage 388V

Samsung 18650 Cells

Height 64.85mm
Dimension 18.33mm
Weight 45g
Voltage (nominal) 3.6V
Max Discharge 20A
Table 2: Constraints for Battery Pack Design

13
 Number of Bricks 4 5 6 4

Number of Cells 27x9 20x10 17x9 23x11

Number of BMS Taps

108 100 102 92
Used

Voltage in Series/brick 97.2 72 61.2 82.8

Voltage in Series total 388.8 360 367.2 331.2

Current Total (A) 180 200 180 180

Power/string (kW) 1.944 1.44 1.224 1.656

Power/brick (kW) 17.496 14.4 11.016 18.216

Power Total (kW) 69.984 72 66.096 72.864

Energy/string (MJ) 6.9984 5.184 4.4064 5.9616

Energy/brick (MJ) 62.9856 51.84 39.6576 65.5776

Energy total (MJ) 251.94 259.2 237.945 262.31

64.85mm + Nickel 64.85mm + Nickel

Height of brick 64.85mm + Nickel Strips 64.85mm + Nickel Strips
Strips Strips

Length x Width/brick
494.91x164.97 366.6x183.3 311.61x164.97
(mm)

Volume/brick (cm^3) 5294.7 4357.78 3333.7

Weight/brick (kg) 10.935 9 6.885 11.38

Weight Total (kg) 43.74 45 41.31 45.54

Weight Total (lbs) 96.43 99.208 91.07 100.39

Total Cells Needed 972 1000 918 1012

Table 3: Module Combinations Evaluated

14
Chosen Design

Number of Bricks 4

Number of Cells 23x8

Number of BMS Taps

92
Used

Voltage in Series/brick 82.8

Voltage in Series total 331.2

Current Total (A) 160

Power/string (kW) 1.656

Power/brick (kW) 13.248

Power Total (kW) 52.99

Energy/string (MJ) 5.9616

Energy/brick (MJ) 47.6928

Energy total (MJ) 190.77

Height of brick 64.85mm + Nickel Strips

Volume/brick (cm^3)

Weight/brick (kg) 8.28

Weight Total (kg) 33.12

Weight Total (lbs) 73.01

Total Cells Needed 736

Table 4: Specifications of Selected Battery Layout

15
MATLAB Calculations

After a few miscalculations were discovered, the necessary variables were then

implemented into a MATLAB code which took the characteristics of the individual Samsung

18650 cell along with the user-defined number of strings, parallel connections, and modules and

calculated all the desired values.

Figure 2: MATLAB Script for Power Specification Verfication

16
 Figure 3: MATLAB Variable Output

The values gathered from the MATLAB script matched the values calculated in the Excel

spreadsheet.

17
Wire Gauge

Based on a maximum voltage drop of 3%, length of 3 feet, and a maximum possible

current of 200 amps, a voltage drop index (VDI) of 60.39 was calculated. Based on the VDI

table, the wire gauge between the battery and motor controller and the wiring between the motor

controller and motor should be 3/0 AWG. (Wire Sizing Chart and Formula) Due to pricing and

availability, a wire of 4/0 AWG will probably be used. The wiring must be orange or wrapped in

orange conduit per FSAE rules. The voltage loss in the 3/0 wire was found to be 0.105 volts and

a resistance of 0.077Ω/1000 feet at a power factor of 0.9. With this gauge and this short length, it

is seen that voltage drop and resistance of the line are negligible.

𝐴𝑚𝑝𝑠 × 𝐿𝑒𝑛𝑔𝑡ℎ(𝑓𝑒𝑒𝑡)
𝑉𝑜𝑙𝑡𝑎𝑔𝑒 𝐷𝑟𝑜𝑝 𝐼𝑛𝑑𝑒𝑥 (𝑉𝐷𝐼) =
% 𝐷𝑟𝑜𝑝 × 𝑉𝑜𝑙𝑡𝑎𝑔𝑒

200𝐴 × 3 𝑓𝑡
𝑉𝐷𝐼 = = 60.39 → 𝟑/𝟎𝑨𝑾𝑮 𝒘𝒊𝒓𝒆
3% × 331.2𝑉

18
Discharge Curves

The battery total statistics were input to a Simulink model which gives discharge curves

over a time. This analysis was done to see the idealized time that the battery could last. The

results of the simulation were a nominal current discharge of 34.78 amps for 2.08 hours.

Figure 4: Discharge/Endurance Curves Modeled in Simulink

19
Single Battery Discharge

A single cell was discharged in MATLAB Simulink showing a temperature differential

of 0.1°C when connected to a constant current load of 2.5A.

Figure 5: Simulink Model for SoC and Temperature Change

20
Figure 6: Temperature During Full Discharge

Figure 7: State of Charge over One Hour

21
¼ Load on One Module
One module, out of the four total was discharged with a constant 6.25kW load (1/4 of

total) connected to it. The temperature change was found to be 8.6°C.

Figure 8: Simulink Model for SoC and Temperature Change

22
Figure 9: Temperature During Full Discharge

Figure 10: State of Charge over One Hour

23
25kW Load on Full Battery
The full battery details were input and a change of 10°C was found. The 25kW came

from a OptimumLap simulation on the FSAE Lincoln Course model done by Carson. This

temperature model for the full battery is likely inaccurate since it only is considering the battery

as one unit.

Figure 11: Simulink Model for SoC and Temperature Change

24
Figure 12: Temperature During Full Discharge

Figure 13: State of Charge over One Hour

25
Bus Bar Dimensions

Another task was to investigate if the copper bus bars chosen and purchased by the

previous team could be smaller. The vehicle should only see about a 30°C rise in temperature

under the worst conditions, and the max amperage of the system is 180 amps. This current was

rounded up to 200 amps for a safety factor and to give some expansion room for future teams. It

was found that the bus could be 1/8”x3/4” or ¼”x1/2” in L x W. It was already planned to

shorten them by about 1/2" and this confirms that they could also be made thinner by about 1/4".

This now allows for a design where two bus bars can be placed into one 3D printed holder,

connecting one battery’s positive to the negative of the next. Space will be saved in the housing

and points of failure are now decreased when doing the parallel connections. (Ampacities and

Mechanical Properties of Rectangular Copper Busbars 2017)

Block Diagram of Subsystem

Figure 14: Block Diagram of High Voltage Subsystem

26
Manufacturing

Overall Ideal Plan

The battery modules will be connected to all the necessary BMS sensors and leads. The

modules will then be placed into HDPE containers per each of the four modules. These HDPE

containers will contain the batteries preventing arcing between the modules and the housing will

be lined with an electrically insulating paper that will contain any fires to one module. The

modules will then be placed inside of the aluminum accumulator housing where they will

terminate on terminal blocks. These terminal blocks will have a single cable off each out of the

container leading to the manual disconnect. After that, the battery will send power straight to the

motor controller as in the above block diagram.

Testing Plans

Housing Test Plan

This test comprises of testing the high voltage battery module and housing to ensure it is

electrically insulated, and all arc potential is eliminated. The batteries were the source of failure

for the previous teams. Last year’s team had an arc fire due to the battery being improperly

insulated and not having shock protection. Testing will be simple, yet vastly important for safety.

It involves a multimeter, the insulation monitoring device, and a voltage detection pen. After the

battery modules are within their HDPE containers, potential and resistance will be measured

between the positive bus and outside of the container. There should be zero potential and infinite

resistance. This ensures that there are no shorts inside the HDPE. After the four HDPE modules

are inside the aluminum housing, the potential and resistance will be measured again to ensure

proper sealing of the containers. There will also be a visual inspection of all wiring connections

made to the batteries and the housing. Once the aluminum housing has been proven to show zero
27
voltage with respect to positive of the battery pack, it will be placed in the car’s chassis and

hooked up to the chassis-grounded insulation monitoring device (IMD). The IMD should output

12V when there is complete isolation between the chassis ground and negative contacts of the

battery pack. A 96kOhm resistor is to be placed in between the negative contacts and chassis

grounding points to trigger the IMD to output 0V.

Data will be collected by reading the multimeter screen and verified by the test-conductor

to confirm zero volts and infinite resistance between the batteries and their housings. This test

must have multiple iterations during performance testing of the vehicle. During assembly of the

vehicle, this test helps to keep all persons working on the car safe. After operation, the batteries

will have suffered shocks and vibrations, and this test will need to be reconducted to ensure the

modules are still electrically insulated. Voltage/current cannot leave the housing by any means

other than the designated wires.

Battery Load Test Plan

The objective of this test will be to measure the endurance and power output of the

battery as well as the battery thermals. This integration test is designed because the battery must

be load tested to ensure that it can safely handle and deliver the desired load and capacity for

competition. This will be done through a load test of the battery using a dynamometer.

Prior to assembly, the previous years’ batteries were taken apart and individual 18650

cells were voltage tested with bad cells being discarded for proper recycling. The batteries have

been assembled, and the completed battery housing will be brought to Mr. Mike McAnnelly’s

lab at PCS 2000 for load testing. There, it will be connected to the motor and motor controller.

The motor will then be coupled to a dynamometer. This gives an accurate load-speed profile of

the motor and ensures that everything is good with the motor controller.

28
 Data for individual cell testing was gathered using a LiitoKala Lii-500. A sample module

was put into a spreadsheet for extrapolation. This was done to see how many and how bad the

cells were from a battery pack. Data for the load test will be acquired by reading the output

screens of the dynamometer, ammeter, and an IR thermometer. It will be input to a spreadsheet

to be analyzed later. Analysis will be done to determine a load v. speed profile as well as a load

v. thermal profile. This will allow the team to see how the battery performs under load and the IR

thermometer will find any hot spots and ensure that proper heat dissipation is occurring.

Tests Conducted
Single Cell Discharge Test
A single cell was discharged across different resistances that were available in the LCB

lab. The cell temperature was measured throughout using a Klein Tools IR thermometer. The

temperature change was negligible and can be attributed to ambient temperature changes as the

apartment A/C turned off and on.

Figure 15: Breadboard Test Setup for Single Cell

29
 330Ω 0.0127A
Initial 75.7°F
2 minutes 75.4°F
5 minutes 75.2°F
100Ω 0.042A
Initial 75.2°F
2 minutes 74.5°F
5 minutes 73.9°F
10Ω 0.42A
Initial 73°F
2 minutes 76.6°F
5 minutes 75.6°F
7.5 minutes 73.6°F
15 minutes 75.4°F
10/100/330 0.48A
Initial 74.5°F
5 minutes 73.8°F
10 minutes 75.6°F
15 minutes 74°F
Table 5: Temperature over Time

Module Load Tests

Each module was low load tested separately for 5 minutes before being wired together in

series to get the designed pack voltage and capacity. The constant load tests could not go for as

long as desired due to electrical tape melting. The load bank used was overvolted by these

battery packs which could have contributed to this issue. The group ended up going pack to this

power lab the next week and doing an endurance test on one module around 45A and found it to

last 18 minutes before there was a heat issue where the plastic sheet began to melt. This load is

what is anticipated after the vehicle takes off to maintain max cruising speed. This test was also

in a room with no active or passive air cooling on the module.

30
 Figure 16: Load Test Setup

Start Final
Start End Resistance Expected Measured
Module Temp Temp Time
Voltage Voltage (Ω) Current Current
(°F) (°F)
5
4 95 92 11.5 8.2A 8.4A 76.5 76.5
minutes
5
3 95 92 11.5 8.2A 8.4A 73 73
minutes
5
2 95 92 11.5 8.2A 8.4A 76.5 76.5
minutes
5
1 95 92 11.5 8.2A 8.4A 73 73
minutes
70
ALL 378 347 11.5 30A 34.5A 72.5 78
seconds
5
ALL 378 319 4.6 75A 72.8A 72.5 74.5
seconds
32
ALL 373.5 319 6 60A 60.2A 72.5 74.5
seconds
18
4 93 70.06 2 47.5A 44A 76 115
minutes
Table 6: Results from Battery Load Test

31
Setbacks as of Time of Writing

The first setback with the battery pack came under disassembly. It was underestimated

how much time it would take to disassemble the existing pack. This had to occur to recharge the

cells after most had sat around for two years, so they could be rearranged into a new style. The

multiple layers of strips had to be ripped off two to three at a time with a needle-nose pliers on

both sides of the battery modules. After this, the cells were broken up by series connections, and

the plastic separators were removed. Once the cells were individualized, they were placed into

the chargers to test the voltage on them. If it was below 3.5V, the cell was placed for disposal.

The team had four chargers that can measure four cells at a time.

There was then great debate among team members about whether to do copper or nickel.

All agreed that copper was the superior option, but there was no cost-effective way to weld the

strips. The existing welder that the team had could only weld nickel effectively. The team tried to

make new electrodes for the welder out of tungsten which worked to an extent but only on the

fixed spot-welder. The hand welder, which was the one needed, could not have its electrodes

changed.

After copper failed, there was no other cheap solution besides nickel. Jacob ordered a

good length of the nickel roll style connection to just go ahead with that despite hesitancy from

some team members. This was necessary as the team was now two weeks behind schedule due to

this welder and material mismatch.

Now that the nickel rolls were cut to length, it was time to weld. After welding a few

cells and small sparks occurring, it was recognized that there was an issue. Upon further

investigation, it was determined that the cells needed to be of very similar voltage prior to

welding; otherwise, when welded, the cells would have a volatile reaction to equalize their
32
voltages. The modules were then taken apart again during Spring break and each cell was

charged individually. The cells were charged sixteen at a time in the chargers until they reached

a voltage of 4.19 or 4.20V. Ensuring minimal difference between cells decreases the risk of

violent reactions during welding.

Future Improvements

The main improvement recognized and recommended for future teams and designs is the

implementation of the Energus Power Solutions building blocks. Current strip welds are prone to

failure and have a low safety factor due to being homemade. The building blocks described

would fuse every eight cells and provide a dedicated BMS port and temperature monitoring- all

features not currently found or required in the existing design but better.

33
APPENDIX

34
Wiring Diagram

Figure 17: Wiring Diagram of the High Voltage System Made in Solidworks Electrical

35
Ideal Timeline

Table 7: GANTT Chart of Overall Project Timeline

36
Testing Timeline

Table 8: GANTT Chart of Testing Timeline

37
Figure 18: Variables Input for MATLAB Endurance Curves

Figure 19: Wire Ampacity and Mechanical Spec Chart

38
Figure 20: VDI vs. Wire Gauge of Copper and Aluminum Conductors

39
 P48 Spring Midterm Budget Status

Amazon, $309.03 , 11%

Budget Remaining,
$910.97 , 31% Ewert Energy , $326.60 ,
11%
Digikey,
$68.29 ,
2%

Mouser, $252.32 , 9%

Timershop,
$26.02 , 1%
OSH Park, $209.35 , 7%

Oshpark, $116.90 , 4% Online Metals, $347.13 ,

12%
Basic Copper, $32.74 , 1%

Arduino, $25.17 , 1%

Platt, PFI Speed, $143.22 , 5%

TI, $7.61 , 0%
$69.31 , Super Bright
2% Aim Dynamics,
LEDs, $67.02 ,
$27.26 , 1%
2%

Figure 21: Project Budget Created for Spring Midterm Report

40
Picture 1: Team Doing Interview with Entergy Media

41
Picture 2: Screenshot from ENGR Weekly 2/28/2022 of Team Entergy Check Presentation

Picture 3: Photo Featured in Entergy Media Release 3/28/2022

42
 Works Cited

Copper Development Association Inc. (2017, September 28). Ampacities and Mechanical
Properties of Rectangular Copper Busbars. copper.org. Retrieved January 23, 2022, from
https://www.copper.org/applications/electrical/busbar/bus_table3.html

Davey, J., & Dankoff, W. (n.d.). Wire Sizing Chart and Formula. RES Supply. Retrieved
November 22, 2021, from https://ressupply.com/learning-center/wire-sizing-chart-and-
formula

Energus Power Solutions. (n.d.). LI2X4P25R: Li-Ion Building Block 3.6v/20ah/18c. energusps.
Retrieved February 22, 2022, from https://www.energusps.com/shop/product/li2x4p25r-li-
ion-building-block-3-6v-20ah-18c-229

Ewert Energy Systems. (2019). Lithium Ion Battery Management System - Orion BMS.
orionbms.com. Retrieved November 12, 2021, from
https://www.orionbms.com/downloads/documents/orionbms2_specifications.pdf

Formula Society of Automotive Engineers. (2021, November 11). Formula SAE Rules 2022.
fsaeonline. Retrieved November 20, 2021, from
https://www.fsaeonline.com/cdsweb/gen/DownloadDocument.aspx?DocumentID=4d9d4c
4c-f82a-4810-9122-d66ff9138d26

Matador. (2016, November 13). Ampacity of Battery Metal Strips. endless-sphere. Retrieved
February 26, 2022, from https://www.endless-
sphere.com/forums/download/file.php?id=248217&sid=2173cfeb2ee010717857c132447ca
304

West, L., Shepherd, B., Karabon, N., Howell, J., & Pyrtko, M. (2016, December 12). Design
Report of the High Voltage Battery Pack for Formula SAE Electric. Wisconsin Racing.
Retrieved October 15, 2021, from https://www.wisconsinracing.org/wp-
content/uploads/2020/10/WR-217e_Accumulator_Design.pdf

43