Formula Electric Team

Currently designing our next-generation 96s4p battery pack built on Molicel 21700 P45B cells — with a focus on fusible link protection, conductor sizing, thermal management, and full rules compliance.

Battery Pack Design
ANSYS Simulation
Thermal-Electric Analysis
ESP32
CAN
EV

View on GitHub ↗

A fusible link blowing open under a simulated fault event.

Next-Generation Battery Pack

I'm leading the design of our next battery pack: a 96s4p architecture built from Molicel 21700 P45B cells. That's 96 groups of 4 cells wired in parallel, connected in series — a configuration chosen to hit our target pack voltage while giving each series group enough parallel capacity and current handling for the demands of competition.

Fusible Link Protection

Every cell group in the pack is protected by a fusible link, and sizing that link is a balancing act. Each Molicel P45B cell is rated for 45A of continuous discharge, so the link has to carry that current all day under normal operation without overheating. At the same time, it has to fail — fast — if something goes wrong, like a cell developing an internal short, so a single faulted cell can't turn into a pack-level thermal event.

To validate that balance before committing to a design, I'm running coupled thermal-electric simulations in ANSYS. These simulations model the link's electrical resistance and heat generation together, showing exactly how hot the fuse element gets under normal 45A load versus how quickly it heats past its melting point once fault current starts flowing through it.

ANSYS coupled thermal-electric simulation of a fusible link showing peak temperature concentrated at the narrowed fuse element

ANSYS coupled field transient simulation — temperature concentrates precisely at the fuse's narrowed neck under load.

My tutorial on simulating fusible links in ANSYS.

Conductors, Thermals & Rules Compliance

Beyond the fusible links, I'm sizing every conductor in the pack to safely carry its expected current without excessive voltage drop or heating, and working through the pack's overall thermal management so cells stay within their safe operating range under sustained load. All of it is being designed to fully satisfy SAE's Formula Electric rules for accumulator design and protection.

Also on the Team

Alongside the battery pack work, I've built the dashboard and telemetry electronics the team races with today.

Dashboard & Telemetry

I created the program for the car's dashboard from scratch using an ESP32 microcontroller and a 3.2" TFT display. By implementing CAN communication with various vehicle systems, the dashboard provides real-time feedback on critical performance metrics like speed, motor temperature, and active faults.

This dashboard offers essential real-time feedback to the driver during testing and competition, proving to be a key part of our vehicle's performance and reliability improvements over the past year.

Architecture & PCB Design

I ensured the dashboard's program was modular and well-documented to allow future team members to easily update and expand its functionality. In addition to software, I also worked on the PCB assembly and testing to validate the design and ensure strict reliability.

Dashboard program running outside of the steering wheel

Clarkson Formula Electric car number 37 parked outside the engineering building — The Clarkson Formula Electric car, #37

Formula Electric Drive Day.

Team: Clarkson Formula Electric
Role: Battery Pack & Electronics Design
Season: 2026/27
Current Project: 96s4p Molicel P45B Battery Pack
Focus: Fusible Link Protection, ANSYS Simulation, Thermal Management, Rules Compliance