“Somewhere between being a student and a professional is the life of an intern.”
From April to July this year Coexlion had the pleasure of hosting 3 interns from BMS College of Engineering http://www.bmsce.ac.in/ in our Bangalore office. Read about their experience…
It is the period of learning and lots of unlearning , period of trying and failing, period of experimental learning about the field of profession and one of the biggest learning experiences from our peers and colleagues. Bengaluru, The Start-up capital of India has several startups which have become unicorns in the past. Several graduates are wanting to explore their learning and apply the same into various domains of work and integrate those domains together! Startups welcome newer ideas and innovations.
As fresh graduates, we wanted to work in a startup and gain knowledge of several fields in our domain. As interns, entering our first workplace this year, we got the opportunity to work in our core branch related fields in Coexlion. To ease our transition from college and learn the working domain and expertise of the company, it meant to start with the various types of motorcycles, functioning and the fundamentals pertaining to design and engineering. Emphasis was laid on researching electric motorcycles… (DUH! we specialise in EVs )
Learning of Startup Culture:
As newbies in the professional world, we learnt about the sheer number of startups, including the upcoming and existing ones and how the EV industry is prospering under the various schemes and incentives provided by the government. So, we dove into the different sectors in the EV space and discovered multiple unique and innovative companies. Along with the startups, we focused on the different EVs available and tried to find newer models which had innovative additions to them. In search of innovative additions, we came across MOTO E World Championship, Dakar Rally having an Electric motorcycle and how the motorcycles are made for the racing environment, the participation and contribution of Women in Motorsports and the innovative steps taken by the racing teams to win races, which can be routed into the regular usage of EV motorcycles.
Another amazing part of exploring the EV sector was comparing the specs of different Electric Motorcycles, how and why they differ in wheel size, suspension, battery capacity etc. We learnt the importance of patents and how a patent can break or make a company and its ideas and got to explore three major domains of patents in EVs which were brakes, motor design and battery technology.
We explored the topics of our projects, prior to being assigned to them. This helped us to understand several functions of the project we were going to be working on without being very specific to solve the problem at hand. This research aided while solving the problem, on the behavior of auxiliary parts while solving the problem and we were able to get a holistic view of the solution. This increased our curiousness and knowledge about the topics.
(*IP Protocol Kicks In* )
Scope of Work:
Electric vehicles (EVs) are gaining significant importance due to their role in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and combating climate change. They offer a sustainable alternative to traditional combustion engine vehicles, promoting cleaner air quality and reduced dependence on fossil fuels. Governments, automakers, and consumers are increasingly recognising the environmental and economic benefits of EVs, driving their rapid adoption and the development of supportive infrastructure.
As interns it was essential to understand the major areas in EVs, among which we explored Firmware Architecture for MCU, Brake Design and DC – DC Converter Design.
Firmware Architecture in EVs plays a very important role in enabling precise motor control in EVs. It was key to understand the considerations and challenges in developing firmware architecture for motor control units. Real-time responsiveness, control algorithms such as Field Oriented Control (FOC) and Direct Torque Control (DTC) and understand the differences between the two control strategies. Communication protocols such as CAN, Flex Ray, and fault handling mechanisms are essential for efficient motor control that can make or break an electric vehicle.
Brake Design in EVs is another essential part in EVs and understanding the unique challenges they present becomes equally important, we got to explore various types of brakes used in EVs, including mechanical, hydraulic, and electric. There were also important factors to consider in brake selection, such as stopping distance, response time, and safety standards. There are various prospects of innovation and unique application of brakes, such as Electromagnetic braking (Used in Maglev Train), E-Brake (Electronic assisted braking system).
DC – DC Converters play a major role in voltage regulation and power conversion. We explored different DC – DC converter topologies used in EVs and their advantages and limitations. There were key factors and considerations in component selection, circuit design, and control strategies for efficient and reliable operation and equal set challenges of thermal management in DC – DC converters and techniques to address. Finally, testing and validation process for DC – DC converters is important keeping parameters such as efficiency, voltage ripple, and transient response in mind.
Conclusion:
The points of experience from many learned co-workers enriched the whole experience. It was a privilege to be able to come up with the ideas and different methods for solving the project related problems. We take this opportunity to thank everyone for making it an experience to remember and cherish throughout our professional life. We were able to discover a refreshing work culture with equal gender opportunities and recognition of work.
Special thanks to our managers, mentors, and Team Coexlion as a whole!
Thank you for reading the blog about our experiences, written by Interns Ramya, Sathvik and Vishnu.
Thank you for reading our blog: Intern: Le Voyage Entre.
COEXLION
Excellence Through Collaboration TM