Design of a laboratory electric vehicle powertrain system

Engineering students at James Madison University have the opportunity for extra-curricular project work on electric vehicle systems. The focus of one such project is the development of a laboratory powertrain system that is typical to a range of electric vehicles. The system is comprised of components typical to an electric vehicle powertrain including a battery pack, battery management system (BMS), motor, and controller of specifications similar to those commonly found on existing electric vehicles. The system is mounted to an equipment cart and provides visual access to major and minor components as well as the wiring harness. The purpose of the laboratory powertrain system is to allow students to further understand details of the integration of subsystems within an electric motorcycle. This paper describes the design, construction, and testing of the laboratory system. The design process follows a bottom-up approach that includes assembly of the battery pack, integration of a BMS to regulate the pack, and integration of a system level controller to manage vehicle functions and drive the electric motor. Results of the project include documentation of the system design, system schematics, and data obtained from charging and discharging tests performed on the laboratory system.