Designing a Smart Instrument Cluster for Electric Two-Wheeler with Advanced Features & Connectivity

Electric two-wheeler business in India is coming up with attractive instrument clusters. For smart and safe two-wheelers, the integrated & connected instrument cluster becomes a necessary product. The proposed connected instrument cluster not only represents the existing functionality of low-grade instrument clusters but also provides the latest features in real-time applications. Various research work has been carried out to design & develop a smart instrument cluster for an EV (Electric Vehicle) with an optically bonded 5 inch or 7 inch touchscreen thin film transistor (TFT) display with features like a mobile phone app with Android and iOS, navigation, roadside assistance, service book, alert tap, incognito mode, list of documents, charging status, ODO meter, trip, time, avg. speed, state of charge (SOC), economy (ECO) mode, screen brightness, notifications, motor RPM, homologation telltales, and activation of TCS Park assistance to enhance the rider's safety & ease of driving. The EV and instrument cluster are linked using microcontrollers (MCU)/microprocessors (MPU)/systems on chips (SOC) and have a wireless architecture with Bluetooth and Wi-Fi for connectivity with mobile & communication with vehicles through control area networks (CAN). By using CAN, we can reduce wiring harness complexity and data received from various sensor processes by the central control device & display various information, so the end user gets aware of vehicle dynamics. Designing such smart instrument clusters for a cost-competitive domestic market based on complex technical requirements, additional features, environmentally friendly design, and safe vehicle ride are the goals of this paper. Keywords: Two-wheeler, Cluster, Electric Two-Wheeler, Cluster System Design, Instrument Cluster, Electric Vehicle