REAPsystems is eager to be involved in the development of solar racing cars which continue to help make the technology more practical for other uses.

Key challenges of the project

Because REAPsystems’ off the shelf BMS is here working on the vehicle level there are numerous additional components it must manage. The solar cells and the main charger are both under the BMS’s control, as is the regenerative breaking system. The BMS must track the state of charge and the current passing in and out of the cell. The system must be safe, but also easy to use and reliable on such a long distance race. The system also allows logging and monitoring of data is also which the team can then use for decisions regarding driving to the maximum advantage, with unnecessary power consumption. Mechanisms are in place to avoid BMS disconnection of the system at critical times if the battery is low.

Feedback from SolarFox's Engineering Director

“Solarfox traveled from Darwin to Adelaide and the battery performed flawlessly during the event...During scrutineering, the battery expert Dr Rand commented that the battery was one of the best presented in recent events! The completed boxes were sturdy and survived the journey well.

Thanks for all your help, the batteries were a great success and impressed all who saw them - Dr Rand was convinced the pack was second to none.”

The finished battery system