Hands-on electric-mobility demonstrations for teaching, research, and engineering outreach.
AE3 has funded a GATE project supporting course development for ECE 498: Electric Mobility Systems. Undergraduate and graduate researchers in the Stillwell Power Group are developing demonstrations that connect system-level electric-mobility concepts with real hardware and also support outreach activities such as the University of Illinois Engineering Open House.
From system fundamentals to motor control
The demonstrations progress from accessible system-level examples to custom electronics, motor-drive hardware, and closed-loop control.
Electric mobility from the ground up
Undergraduate researchers began with a teardown of a radio-controlled car. The platform provides an intuitive introduction to the major subsystems found in electrically driven vehicles: chassis, energy storage, electric motor, power conversion, and control.
Starting with an accessible system helps students connect high-level vehicle concepts to physical components before progressing to more advanced motor-drive hardware and control.
Human power to electrical power
One of the project’s early outputs was the repair and modernization of the Power and Energy Area stationary-bicycle demonstration. The system connects mechanical pedal power to electrical power by allowing users to energize different light-bulb loads.
The demonstration has supported the Power and Energy Area exhibit at Engineering Open House and the 2025 Abbott Power Plant Girl Power event with the Girl Scouts of Central Illinois.
Custom demonstration electronics
Undergraduate researchers designed a new printed circuit board for the stationary-bicycle demonstration using open-source development tools. The design uses standard component footprints and an Arduino UNO controller, making the platform accessible, serviceable, and suitable for continued development by future student teams.
Revision 1 of the board is operational, with a second revision under development.
Motor and motor-controller test platform
The team assembled a motor and motor-controller system using components common to hobbyist and DIY electric-skateboard platforms. Initial benchtop testing successfully operated the motor in the teaching laboratory, establishing a flexible platform for future electric-drive demonstrations.
The setup gives students direct exposure to the relationship among energy storage, power electronics, motor hardware, and embedded control in an electric-mobility drivetrain.
From power electronics to closed-loop control
Benchtop testing demonstrates D-Q motor-control waveforms together with live torque and speed measurements. The platform helps students connect motor-control theory, measured electrical quantities, and physical machine behavior.
Ongoing development
The Electric Mobility Systems demonstration platform continues to evolve as new hardware, laboratory exercises, and outreach demonstrations are developed for ECE 498 and related activities.