Amount of funding awarded
617.40
Budget Report
View budget report.
How the program has supported you
The PAF program is a key contributor to UBC Sailbot’s overall development of marine technology accessible to university students. The SPC is a critical field equipment for the team as a whole, enabling safe, rapid charging of future autonomous sailboats and other high capacity battery-powered systems. This was made possible with the PAF funding received, enabling us to procure certified components that, along with a generously donated 1600W PSU from TDK-Lambda, were all necessary to build this CSA-certified product. This support has also enabled us to build an invaluable learning platform for electrical engineering students, showcasing the process required to safely design, develop, and test high-power testing equipment ready for CSA certification.
Outcomes
The SPC went through a special inspection process and obtained its CSA certification mark, making it one of only a few PAF projects to be certified. Since inspection, the SPC has directly benefited over 40 students involved in testing Raye, our upcoming autonomous sailboat, by enabling safe rapid charging during in-water testing sessions. This was made easy designed with ruggedness and safety compliance at forefront.
In the long term, it will continue to provide university students with accessible high-power DC charging equipment that is CSA compliant and ready for marine use. The students involved in the SPC project have developed their skills in industry member consultation, power systems, and user-centric design. Going forward, engineering students specializing in power systems have a great opportunity to learn from, improve upon, and even reference the SPC’s design for future AC/DC equipment development.