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Dirtbike Battery Packs

Students on Project: Caleb Mackay and Mike Nerenberg

ManuFacturing

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First completed dirtbike modules

Modules

  • Solder paste copper to aluminum current collector

    • Now using hot plate to speed up process​

  • Spot welding copper to cell​

    • New higher power spot welder to remove need for nickel strip used in old bikes​

  • 3d printing structure​

  • Water jetting busbars and current collectors

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Internal Pack Structure​​​

  • Outsourced to sponsor Patrick Enterprises for cutting and bending

  • Pem studs and rivet nuts installed in house

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Pack Enclosure

  • Machined by students in Ware Lab

  • Latches and spacers for locking packs

  • Panels stitch welded together by students in Ware Lab

  • Sealent will be applied on seams after welding

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External Pack Structure

  • Machined by students in Ware Lab

  • Latches and spacers for locking packs

  • Mounting points to frame welded by students

Design

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Near finalized pack design

General Notes​

  • Packs will be IP64 rating

  • Cells - Reliance RS50

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Manufacturability

  • Simple busbar designs​

  • Simple 3d printed casings

  • Similar hardware used throughout modules​

  • Rivet vs solder joint (electrical)

    • Solder currently takes a long time and is a mess​

    • Rivet is not able to provide consistent resistance during vibrational loads

​​

Packs

  • 2 BMS Nodes

  • Electrically isolated connections

  • Modules fully constrained

  • Pem studs and rivet nuts to fix structure to casing​

  • D-Ring stand-offs for handles

  • Gore valve for air pressure regulation​

Planning

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Preliminary pack structure

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Preliminary battery pack design

​General Notes

  • There will be 2 identical packs made up of standardized modules

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Requirements

  • Temperature

    • Cells cannot exceed 80°C

    • Cells should not exceed 65°C under normal conditions

  • Cells must be able to survive vibrational loads experienced in a dirt bike race​​​

  • Packs must be water resistant

  • Each pack should be less than 100V

  • Packs need to be fully isolated from electrical current when swapping

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Major Considerations

  • Module orientation

    • Vertical​

    • Horizontal​

  • Gaskets​

    • Channel​

    • TPU

  • Pack Mounting​

    • Latches​

    • Bolt-in

​

Electrical Notes

  • ​Target power​

    • 35kW​

    • 200V​

    • 175A

  • Series and parallel config​

    • Series: 48​

    • Parallel: 7

  • ​Cells

    • Cell max voltage: 4.2V​​

    • Cell capacity: 5Ah

    • Current: 25A

    • Heat generation: 2.5W​

  • Cell selection​

    • Molicel P50B​

    • EVE 50PL

    • Reliance RS50

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