Analysis of detailed electric vehicle data in electrical engineering education

There is a large quantity of data available on the CAN bus of the Chevrolet Volt that can be obtained through the OBD2 connectors on both the passenger and driver side of the vehicle. Although much of this is not available on the console of the vehicle to passengers, it can be logged and collected to analyse various vehicle performance measures and behaviours as well as charging characteristics. A set of pertinent data has been collected simultaneously for approximately 40 vehicle parameters for numerous trips and charging events for the 2012 Chevrolet Volt. Some of the key parameters are battery voltage, battery current, motor currents, state of charge, engine rpm, vehicle speed, longitude, latitude, altitude, battery power, motor power, etc. This data has been used as a learning tool in the electrical engineering classroom for senior students in both advanced machine courses and in sustainable energy courses. Through analysis the students develop a better understanding of general electric vehicle operation principles and energy useage and management. They also develop problem solving skills and experience with analysing large data sets (certain trips have over 15 million data points) and using appropriate tools to perform large but repetitive tasks.