Christopher Tseng
Christopher Tseng
Engineering Student at the University of Waterloo
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University of Waterloo Formula Electric
University of Waterloo Formula Electric
I've been a member of our university's FSAE team from the beginning of my undergraduate education. Throughout that time, I have been focused on the mechanical design of our high voltage systems, and have contributed designs (and many hours of busting my knuckles after rounding off a bolt) to all our vehicles across the 2022-2026 seasons.
Currently I serve as our Tractive Systems (High Voltage Systems) lead, with a focus on developing our R&D and building up architectures necessary for long-term knowledge transfer. My principle design focus is on our 2026 architecture, but I also fill in wherever needed -- whether for fabrication, assembly, or smaller design tasks.
2026 Battery R&D
2026 Battery R&D
One recent focus has been on selecting a new cell for the team to move towards in the 2026 season. This is a significant portion of our cost, and as such we seek to choose the best possible cell for our use case. Some of the work I've done so far:
Performing characterization testing on the latest available high power cylindrical cells
Established working relationships with multiple global battery manufacturers to acquire testing data for preliminary cell selection and B/C samples for characterization
Developing (basic) MATLAB simulations to predict heating results at the cell level
Designing & manufacturing prototype modules to validate thermal designs
Determining metrics for design targets
More to come soon!
2026 Module Design
2026 Module Design
From R-L: 2024, 2026 (Rev. 1), 2026 (Rev.2), and 2023.
At a pack level targeting an energy density improvement of 15%+ and tripling peak power density.
Goal of making significant DFA/DFM improvements over previous years, along with using new materials for an optimized design.
2024 High Voltage Accumulator
2024 High Voltage Accumulator
588V HV, 9.072kWh
5052-H32 sheet metal design with geometry to mitigate potential water ingress, reduce risk of water pooling, and tight electrical integration/packaging. Designed to withstand 40g impacts in XYZ.
2023 Accumulator Weathersealing
2023 Accumulator Weathersealing
Project for Waterloo Formula Electric
Front shroud with internal flanges, designed to be constructed from bent aluminum using equipment available in-house.
Rear shrouds are 3D printed with removable "filters", both to optimize printing and to enable different configurations if required.
No water ingress within the accumulator occurred during 3+ days of water exposure and dynamic events at competition.
2023 High Voltage Disconnect
2023 High Voltage Disconnect
Project for Waterloo Formula Electric
High Voltage Disconnect + Interlock Loop Disconnect for the accumulator, designed in SOLIDWORKS.
Body CNC machined in Delrin, copper busbar machined on conversational CNC and nickle-plated, internal parts 3D printed.
2023 Segment Maintenance Disconnect Handles
2023 Segment Maintenance Disconnect Handles
Project for Waterloo Formula Electric
Segment Maintenance Disconnects, designed in SOLIDWORKS.
Designed to fit in tight space (<25mm of clearance in some areas) while being sized for HV glove use (>30mm clearance for gloved fingers). SMD locks also redesigned for HV glove use.
Printed in Fire-Retardant ABS.
2023 Tractive System Active Light Housing
2023 Tractive System Active Light Housing
Project for Waterloo Formula Electric
Tractive System Active Light housing, redesigned to be properly waterproofed with fastened gaskets underneat acrylic panels and a cable grip.
Machined out of aluminum on CNC.
Other Projects
Other Projects
Designed and manufactured new TSMP for 2023 WFE vehicle
Integrated GLV and TS master switches and dual CAN DB9 jacks into enclosure
Designed and manufactured compact solution that maintained usability, insulation and physical separation between GLV and HV systems, and sealed against dust and liquid ingress
Utilized 3D printing and waterjet cutting for ease of manufacture while still meeting constraints
A lot of other stuff over the years (I need to catch up on documenting these).
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