This summer, Eivind Enea Greca, a first-year Master’s student in Mechatronics at the University of Agder (UiA), joined the innovative ELAG project. His primary task was to decode CANBus messages in order to determine how the system could initiate a charging sequence. This work continues the transformation of a Massey Ferguson tractor into a fully electric vehicle, building on the foundation laid by a 2024 bachelor’s thesis. For more information, visit https://e-trac.no to access the experience transfer document.
Main Project Challenges
CANBus Decoding: One of the main challenges was understanding the CANBus communication used in the battery system. While no official documentation existed, a community resource by Dala the Great on GitHub provided valuable insights that significantly shortened the decoding process. Even so, verifying signal behaviour and isolating critical messages still required extensive testing and system analysis.
Startup Logic Discovery: Determining how the system initiates charging involved uncovering hidden dependencies within the communication flow, including safety checks and interlock conditions that prevented startup under normal circumstances.
Startup Emulation: Instead of sending CAN messages, the startup sequence was successfully triggered using a physical relay setup, following the method demonstrated by Dala the Great in his YouTube video. This approach enabled the system to mimic the original vehicle’s startup conditions. CANBus messages from the BMS were then decoded to verify that the battery system had initiated correctly and accepted charging.
Technical Insights
Charging Sequence Discovery: Initiating the battery’s charging process outside the original vehicle involved verifying whether the BMS would permit charging, not applying actual voltage. A temporary relay-based startup sequence, based on Dalathegreat’s YouTube method, was used solely to test if the BMS would initialise correctly. Additionally, the interlock system was bypassed using a jumper. These steps were strictly for testing and confirmation purposes and are not intended for the final implementation.
CANBus Analysis: While Dala’s GitHub documentation offered a valuable head start, decoding the system’s behaviour still required active monitoring and interpretation of live CANBus traffic. By analysing how the BMS responded during the relay sequence, it was confirmed that charging was successfully accepted and maintained under the emulated conditions.
Looking Ahead
While the proprietary nature of Nissan’s electronics presents a significant challenge, adopting open-source principles could greatly enhance the efficiency of electric vehicle conversions. This would not only accelerate innovation but also foster more sustainable practices within the automotive industry.
Acknowledgements
A special thanks to Muhammad Faisal Aftab, Mikael Snaprud for their invaluable support and the chance to contribute to this exciting project.
Visit https://e-trac.no/ to learn more.