EV.3.3 Power and Voltage

This rule defines 80 kW as our absolute power ceiling, no more than this amount can be pulled for usage in our vehicle. Given that our output current and voltage is measured through the Energy Meter, and discrete signals such as these can be computed to check and maintain compliance, it is relevant that power can be calculated in a number of ways.

This rule acts as an absolute ceiling for voltage throughout the vehicle, and because of this, our team must be very careful about the design considerations of our battery cells. If we design our accumulator using the wrong category of ratings, we may exceed this terminal voltage at higher states of charge.

So, how are voltage ratings designated?

This section specifies speed constraints for regenerative braking. Our hypothesis for this rule's purpose is that the motor could potentially stall, or there could be residual counter-electromotive force (sometimes called back-emf) from moving the car around in the pits at competition.

But what is regenerative braking? 

Regenerative braking is a mechanism found in hybrid and electric vehicles that converts kinetic energy into electrical power to recharge the vehicle's battery as the car slows down or goes downhill. Really, it works by reversing the electric motors that propel the car, which acts like a generator to feed energy back into the system.