In fact, the electric car he was driving to work was legally converted by the 1996 Honda Civic. After that, the car was also converted into a car. "I know the car well, and in some ways, this is no longer a Honda car," said Stephen, a senior applications engineer in the Power Management Solutions (BMS) department at TI's Silicon Valley Simulation (SVA) office. However, this is not Stephen's first time. Stephen began playing with cars when he was in high school, but his first true DIY result was a small Chevrolet engine for a 1978 Camaro sedan. "I like the feeling of conceptualizing something, then conducting research, and finally completing it and successfully achieving the set goals," he said. "There is nothing more wonderful than accomplishment."
Stephen joined National Semiconductor (NS) in 2002 as a chief application engineer and is responsible for automotive Bluetooth remote information processors. Later, he began to take charge of the Active Battery Balanced Chipset. This is the first battery management product that NS Labs introduced in 2008. He has become an expert in battery management, and even created TI Design's "14-channel active battery-balanced battery management reference design." Without a doubt, he also applied this technology to his Honda Civic sedan.
About this Honda Civic sedan After comparing various new red manual block hatchbacks, Stephen bought the Honda Civic sedan in 1998. Although at the time the car dealer told him that it was sold out, he later discovered a 1996 DX with very low mileage and no modifications. For several years, he has made several modifications to the car and hopes it will perform better while driving safely. "He said," I eventually took this car to participate in car off-road races, and the Civic was originally the best choice. From suspension to engine to interior, I completely remodeled the vehicle. Unfortunately, the car soon couldn't legally get on the road in California. ”
Because he has just set up a family, Stephen's enthusiasm for this high consumption hobby has slowly faded. In addition, Civic naturally can not compete with Mazda Miatas and Subaru WRX models. He said, "Another reason is that the oil price is too high. I decided to turn this vehicle into a good commuter tool. So, I have to make this car legal again.” Because then he was manufacturing for the main original equipment. Businesses design battery management integrated circuits (ICs), Stephen excited: "Maybe I should build my own electric car."
Stephen spent a few months designing the following components:
1. 51x 160Ah Thundersky LiFePO4 battery
2. With the help of Francis Houde and John Kircheofer, TI employees from Fort Collins, Colorado, Stephen designed the TI EM1401 evaluation board. This board uses TI's products to provide 5A active battery equalization.
3. 14 Channel Active Battery Balanced Battery Management Reference Design
4. 1000A water-cooled DC motor controller
5. The maximum power is about 150kW at 200hp and 250ftbs
6. Car net weight 2900 pounds
7. The car dashboard was transformed into an Android ODROID dashboard and a 7-inch touchscreen that displays real-time power, voltage, current, and power per mile.
Stephen completed the renovation at the end of July and since then he has been driving the EV to and from work almost every day. At present, this electric car modified by him has passed a car inspection in California and obtained an electric vehicle license. "Now this car no longer needs to be tested for exhaust," said Stephen. Within about 80 miles, the EV has recently exceeded 4,500 miles. Compared to his F150 pick-up truck, Stephen has saved over $1,000 in fuel costs. What about the handling performance of this Honda? Stephen said that the handling of the vehicle is exactly the same as he expected. He explained, "I have made major changes to the vehicle's suspension during the auto-X racing event, but now as an electric vehicle, this vehicle is more balanced and has a lower center of gravity, so handling performance It has also been greatly improved."
