Oxford Brookes Racing - Custom Battery Management System

Oxford Brookes Racing is one of the UK's leading formula student teams, competing across Europe and the UK developing and building and AWD electric race car. Attached Bellow you can see the launch video of last year's challenger OBR24.

Our project is the design a custom battery management system to push technical boundaries and enhances our engineering capabilities. Creating an in house BMS presents a unique and challenging opportunity, demanding expertise in electronics, software, and battery technology. Unlike using an off-the-shelf solution, developing a custom BMS allows the team to build skills and gain hands-on experience with high-voltage systems, data analysis, and complex programming.

Figure 1.0 - Renders for Module and Battery

Beyond skill development, a purpose-built BMS provides an avenue to optimize vehicle performance in ways that generic systems cannot. A custom solution enables the team to tune the system specifically to our 546V, 130s2p battery configuration, allowing for optimal performance and safety. This approach also aligns with the team’s goal to innovate continuously and experiment with cutting-edge technology. By developing our own BMS, it gives us the freedom to implement features like advanced fault detection and improved balancing features, that enhance safety, efficiency, and reliability.

The system utilises the BQ79600 and BQ79616 working in tandem as a battery management system to monitor, balance, and manage cells. Where we will be iterating from a development platform to create a custom system, which measures each cell's voltage, monitors temperature, and balances cells by redistributing charge to maintain uniform voltage across the pack. Multiple BQ79616 devices are stacked to monitor our battery. Meanwhile, the BQ79600 acts as the battery management unit, interfacing between the stacked BQ79616 devices. It facilitates data transfer by collecting cell measurements, temperature data, and fault signals from each BQ79616 in the stack, consolidating this information for analysis and decision-making at the system level. The BQ79600's communication protocol ensures reliable and high-speed data transfer, enabling real-time monitoring and effective control of the battery pack. Together, the BQ79600 and BQ79616 provide a efficient and reliable solution for managing our complex battery.

Figure 1.1 - Harness Drawing for the BMS

The system seamlessly integrates with our the vehicle’s central control unit, providing real-time status updates, performance data, and error warnings, offering critical insights. This project offers long-term benefits by reducing the need for third-party solutions and enabling continuous improvement. Building a efficient and safe system for a competitive racing vehicle, underscoring their commitment to innovation and technical excellence.

Figure 1.3 - Render of Development Boards

PCBWay's support will allow us to integrate this complex system through the PCBA services and technical guidance. Allowing use to achieve a high quality system in Formula Student Competition. We look forward to the prospect of partnering with PCBWay to continue innovating and contributing to the success of OBR.