Electric Vehicle Class at Portland State

Portland State University, in Portland Oregon, is now offering a course on electric vehicle engineering.

Power electronics and electric motor technologies have had decreasing emphasis in Electrical Engineering curricula over the last thirty years. In large part, this is due to the growth in semiconductors, digital technologies, signal processing, and wireless communication. Power electronics and electric motors have employed fewer engineers than their digital counterparts and had less glamorous, less exciting reputations.

However, with the growing focus on green and sustainable technologies, these older techs are making a comeback. In many cases, exciting new combinations of modern controls and old technologies are creating solutions that were previously not possible.

Portland State University is now offering a class that brings these technologies together. It is from PSU's School of Engineering & Computer Science. It is a senior elective (410) or graduate level (510) class, so there is an expectation that you have an understanding of electrical engineering. It is not a walk-in introductory 101 class.

Part 1 of the class is scheduled for this Spring semester with Part 2 planned for the Fall semester. The class will be limited to only 20 students.

Over the two classes, students will learn about electric propulsion and drive control systems, with emphasis on brushless DC and induction machines. Other topics include switch mode power electronics, battery technologies, battery management, vehicle weight and driving performance (range, acceleration...). The extensive laboratory work for the class will use Matlab and Simulink and include experiments with the Power-pole board and the Arduino microcontroller.

You can see the course details and syllabus here.

via PSU and the OEVA