Projects / Power electronics and energy conversion
Power DC/DC module with supercapacitors for an electric motorcycle: short peak-power boost, battery unloading, bypass mode and STM32 energy control.
The available power of an electric motorcycle strongly depends on battery state. With partial discharge the voltage drops, and the motor controller no longer receives the previous peak power. The task was to add a short-term energy buffer without fully replacing the battery and drive.
A supercapacitor power booster was developed: power module with a supercapacitor block, DC/DC converter, bypass path, control board, gate drivers, measurement circuits and embedded software. The prototype passed laboratory tests and tests on an electric motorcycle.
Project materials
Engineering context
Supercapacitors do not replace a battery by stored energy, but can deliver high current for a short time.
The module has to distribute load between the battery, supercapacitors and drive.
Current limits, smooth mode entry, voltage monitoring and fault logic are required.
Bypass mode is important so the vehicle can operate when the booster is off or faulty.
Work done
Supercapacitor power-booster architecture.
Selection of DC/DC converter power topology.
Bypass logic.
Calculation of supercapacitor charge and discharge modes.
STM32F446 control board.
UCC21750 isolated gate drivers.
Voltage, current and temperature measurement.
Firmware for PWM, ADC, DMA and control loops.
Buck, boost and off modes.
Metal-enclosure prototype and testing.
Details
Supercapacitors work as a fast power buffer. They help in start, climb, overtaking or short acceleration modes where high power is needed for a few seconds.
The controller drives the DC/DC converter, limits battery current and monitors supercapacitor voltage. This adds boost capability without rough direct connection of the storage block to the power bus.
The module is useful not only for electric motorcycles, but also for other compact electric-transport or mobile platforms where short peak power is important with limited battery mass. The approach can also reduce peak battery load and soften charge/discharge operation.
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