Inside Our Testing: BMS Failures, Fixes, and Lessons Learned

That multi-screen coolant temperature is the kind of thing that really adds to repairability. Often, the biggest challenge is diagnosing a problem, which will also help the driver decide if it's STOP NOW or FIND A PLACE. Love the info and transparency, hope you guys are prepared to scale when the time comes!

This just shows how much you care about your product, not just “it’ll be fine, if it breaks they can fix it” it’s the push to make sure if things fail you can still keep going until you get to where you need to be

I love that Edison is doing it themselves. They are not outsourcing it to a third party that is trying to adapt someone else’s code. This means you have intimate knowledge of how everything works. These first few trucks are the next step in testing, Topsy is that crucial prototype to set your base line. Keep working and testing and finding the edge cases that break things.

I work on the field service side of the industry for an OEM you’re familiar with. I cannot get enough of what you’re doing. Much support keep it up. I support hydrid

at the rate you guys are going, this will be the hardest truck to actually break down out there! as long as nothing in the drive axles lock up.

I know that most folks don't understand the incredible amount of testing and fixing and re-testing that goes into making anything work well, this is a great lesson for all of us !!

This is why testing is so important. The more you test, the more you understand what went wrong, and why, and even more important, how to fix it so it doesn't reoccur. Then with all that data, you have to go through it line by line to see what came first. Then you can work through the system, problem solving as you go. Absolutely brilliant piece of micro management as it should be performed. You have the perfect team put together, who can work together, and solve potential problems, before they become actual problems. I love the work you are doing, to produce your first truck for sale. It will have been built by people who know what, where, and why, and can advise as necessary. Superb engineering in the flesh. This is how it should be done, and with the right team behind you, and all things being equal, you have the ethos to build safe, efficient and technologically advanced products to be proud of. GOOD LUCK in the journey and even better, best wishes for all of you.

You guys will eventually own the trucking market or your competitors will start copying your model

Kudos to the senior management team at EMCON for having the foresight to get on board! Seriously, I have seen their trucks in Ontario and seeing a company like EMCON actually getting on board and looking forward makes you feel better about where the MoT is spending their money. Would love to see Edison Trucks with an EMCON logo clearing the 401!

Don't forget, the regen controller / software procedure MUST talk to the BMS, to establish what max power the batteries can absorb at any given time, AND also talk to the antilock braking system. The engine braking system on my Dodge 6.7l would easily lock up the wheels in the winter and / or with slippery surface roads. This should be easy enough by passing around some unallocated variables in the canbus system and using them to interlock the regen and establish the rate of regen. This will be worse when on emergency with the onboard generator as the generator cannot absorb the regen power so consider no regen during generator use? Also, you for sure need spike suppression devices (vacuum tube, MOV, etc) between the regen output and the batteries. Or right on the BMS's as the spike problem may not go away due to the variable nature of the mechanical feedback of the drivetrain to the motor / generator. If you don't suppress that all the high voltage electrics will be at risk. Keep up that really interesting project!

I really appreciate all the love of design you guys have for this project. I've been saving for years that we needed a diesel gen set on an electric truck. A#1

@EdisonMotors Please make sure to ALWAYS check your HV gloves and wear the required leather cover gloves. The HV rubber is not designed for any puncture resistance as it is made of a very soft and easily sliced or punctured type of silicone. I work with high voltage battery emulators (battery simulators 1kVdc/600kW) every day along with 800V and greater inverter systems for both heavy duty and automotive traction motors and have seen the repercussions of not wearing them properly. Just want to make sure you all are safe and have the proper PPE, 30 seconds extra can save a life/limb. Keep this going its actually refreshing to see someone not jumping on the full EV bandwagon.

Love the detailed insight into the process, keep up the amazing work!

What a refreshing approach to designing, building and supplying a top notch product. 100% support the work you guys doing. My only thought was to install a capacitor to help handle the voltage fluctuations when regeneration occurs. Keep up the incredible work boys!

I ame soo happy to see some actual product development is going on. Without all the bs of sales cut out, soo you see the real picture.

I am SO HAPPY to see you guys learning from your mistakes. I love how you demonstrate trial and error. I've started trying to implement that in my life as I begin my IBEW electricians apprenticeship!

You breaking things now, is good news, as it translates to a more reliable product to customers.

I am not a trucker. But I have always enjoyed big trucks. I have watched most of your build videos. I would love to have an F150 size truck built from the ground up using the ideas of Topsy. Simple cab, everything. I am really disliking modern trucks, they are not work trucks any more. I love the idea of the 250 HP drive axle and would want the same on steer axle as well. (500 total horse power ) in something the size of a F150. I could really get into that.

As a software developer / control systems engineer I learned you can never have too much data at your fingertips. I've been criticized by companies that I did design and development work for that stated I did more than I should have, and charged too much for it only to have everyone find out that they needed those features at some point. Not to pat myself on the back but I know we cannot see around every corner and that includes me, so it's better to have more diagnostic data than you might think you need. Another aspect of this is that it's faster and cheaper to add the data in while you're developing than it is to come back later and add these things in piecemeal.

Can you imagine how good your Ford or Chevy would be if those companies cared this much? Keep up the good work brothers!