MER19

MER19

MER19 was Michigan Electric Racing’s first all-electric vehicle, and it placed 2nd at Formula North in May 2019 and 9th at FSAE Electric in Lincoln Nebraska in June 2019. Design began in May of 2018, beginning with lap-time simulations and vehicle architecture decisions. Design Reviews were held in the Fall, and manufacturing began in November 2018. The first drive was completed on April 5th, only a few days after the initial target of April 1st. Testing took place throughout April and May until competition.

Technology

MER19 was powered by two EMRAX 208 PMAC motors, producing a maximum of 420Nm at each rear tire through a 3:1 single reduction gearbox. A Rinehart 100DXR motor controller controlled each motor, and each was connected to the same 6.66kWh 300V battery pack comprised of Samsung 25R 18650 cells in a 72S10P configuration. The vehicle had 3 onboard CAN networks - Body, Powertrain, and Diagnostics, which were presided over by two ECUs, a Pi Innnovo M110 and M220.

Hoosier 18.0x7.5-10 R25B tires were used at each corner, on centerlocking 10” OZ Magneisum wheels. A steel spaceframe held everything together. All together the vehicle weighed 569 lbs.

My role

I served as a co-captain for Michigan Electric Racing for the 2018-2019 season in which MER19 was created. Specifically, I:

• Assisted in development of lap-time simulation programs in MATLAB and Simulink to make vehicle architecture decisions

• Led team’s transition from SolidWorks and GrabCAD to Siemens NX and Teamcenter PLM tools

• Led overall vehicle design and subsystem integration

• Acquired and managed many team sponsorships

• Coordinated manufacturing and purchasing efforts

• Conducted administrative tasks such as managing the team’s budget, processing reimbursements, and organizing events