University of California, Merced & Merced College

The University of California, Merced is partnering with Merced College in the Battery Workforce Challenge, a three-year engineering competition that challenges North American universities and their community college partners to design, build, test and integrate an advanced EVV battery pack into a Ram ProMaster EV.

The University of California, Merced & Merced College BattChallenge team's purpose is to empower students with cutting-edge skills, preparing them to meet the demands of the automotive industry.

The University of California, Merced & Merced College's BattChallenge team year two goals are as follows:

1. Increasing hands-on collaboration between Merced College and UC, Merced: As the crew transitions from year one's design phase to year two’s focus on validating components and software, the expertise of Merced College's team members in mechanics and industry practices will be crucial for the team's success.
2. Improve team participation: The team aims to engage more students and increase activity among current members, support team members in overcoming the challenging learning curve to complete deliverables effectively, and initiate testing system functionalities on a small scale with a gradual progression toward full-scale implementation, fostering growth, collaboration and efficiency within the team.
3. Familiarize team members with: MATLAB/Simulink/Simscape Battery Toolbox and AVL Cruise M.
4. Develop and test: BMS software functionalities (SoX estimation, system monitoring and protection methods), testing functions on a small-scale platform using Samsung SDI North America's cells
5. Fostering team bonding and cross-team collaboration with: the EEE, thermal, and hardware teams to enhance integration and efficiency in software development and system performance.