The RCAVe demonstrates the strength, quality, and commitment of collaborative research within the area of sustainable transport at Universitas Indonesia.
In research activities for electric vehicle development, RCAVe has research experience in designing, manufacturing, and testing permanent magnet synchronous motor (PMSM) prototypes and inverter motor prototypes for city car type electric vehicles. This research has been carried out since 2014. The PMSM prototype and inverter prototype resulting from this research have been tested on a city car type electric vehicle developed jointly with the Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Indonesia and a rural electric vehicle developed by PT. Pindad (Persero). It is hoped that with this experience, further research proposals can produce a motor drive unit (propulsion) for large-size electric buses composed of motor prototypes and inverter prototypes and DC/DC converters of their own products.
Apart from that, to ensure that electric vehicles are safe for users, it is not enough with the naked eye, but it needs to be supported by measurable data. So it is very necessary embedded systems accompanied by sensors that can retrieve measured data for further analysis. It also requires an additional interface to determine the status of the electric drive system, which cannot be displayed on a conventional dashboard. Mastery of technology in developing this device independently is very necessary so that Indonesia is not just a spectator in the era of globalization.
So with this in mind, the next research plan, RCAVe, proposes to conduct research on the development of a motor propulsion system product for large electric buses. It is hoped that this research will be able to fill the need for a motor drive system (propulsion) for large electric buses which so far have to be imported both as a whole and in the form of components, so as to increase the level of domestic content (TKDN) of electric buses and reduce dependence on foreign products.
Moving forward our research is focused on measuring, monitoring and understanding multiple aspects of the quickly evolving market for low cost EV in Indonesia.