One of the most long-term projects that I was involved in at AETC was the solar aluminum car. The idea behind this project is simple. Since our first EV prototype proved that a vehicle can be powered entirely by a solar panel given a reasonably light weight, we decided to take the next step. This prototype was built with an aluminum frame and used much more powerful 1.2kWx4 wheels with a larger LiFePO4 battery pack.
I joined the project when it only consisted of a frame, batteries, and hub motors. Many students from EE and ME departments worked on this project. I led the later stages of the development primarily consisting of designing and implementing a digital differential control for the wheels. Since the car uses four independent hub motors, it used to skid at the turns because all wheels were turning at the same speed. Different turn radius for each wheel required a central microcontroller that would send a corresponding speed signal to each wheel. I identified the problem and further led the development of both the hardware and software setup using PIC microcontrollers, however I wouldn’t be able to do much without a tremendous help of Bala and Harsha. Together we were also tasked to finish the overall electric design of the vehicle starting from the motor control and ending with the battery safety circuits and management systems.
This video is a demo of the prototype. Notice that the vehicle is driving three passengers (Prof. Mil’shtein, project advisor – at the back with Max, Dhawal is videotaping, and I am driving).
