Michigan State University Solar Racing Team

The Michigan State Solar Racing Team is a group of undergraduate students who design, build, and race solar-powered electric vehicles. Our mission for 20 years has been to give students hands-on engineering, business, teamwork, and leadership experiences, and excite them about a clean future of mobility.

The team's electrical division is comprised of nearly 40 students with majors including electrical engineering, computer engineering, computer science, and chemical engineering. The division manages, designs, builds, tests, and integrates 10 subsystems that include 5 custom PCB projects: Driver Controls, Power Distribution, Battery Protection, and Motor Controller. Our design goals prioritize high efficiency and reliability to compete under the American Solar Challenge.

Motor Control

Our team has undertaken the task this year of moving over to in-house motor controllers to accommodate our new, high-efficiency hub-motor drive. This is the team's first venture into high-power conversion circuitry and was also our first venture working with PCBWay PCBs!

Driver Controls

The car has more functionality than just driving. In order to compete on surface roads, it has to meet road legality standards and, of course, the driving aspect is no easy feat, either. The Driver Controls System is the driver's interface for all of the key features of the car. It has a circuit board embedded in the steering wheel, dashboard controls, lighting, a horn, cruise controls, and more!

Power Distribution

The car’s electrical control systems run at 12 volts, but our battery pack operates closer to 120 volts. Making this conversion safely and efficiently is the purpose of the Power Distribution System. From there, it is about integrating with the other systems to deliver the power needed for all the functions of the car!

Battery Protection

The battery protection system isolates the high voltage battery pack in case of emergencies. Any current provided by the battery pack to other systems first goes through the BPS before going to other systems of the car. If any fault is detected in the battery pack, it is up to the Battery Protection System to to shut off the main battery power and switch the emergency controls systems over to the 12 volt emergency back-up battery.

For more information on the MSU Solar Racing Team, visit our website at msusolar.com