Interview with Yu-Hsin Wu》
From Formula Student in Taiwan to a startup in the Netherlands, an accelerated overseas career from a racing team
Editor | Hu Qingyou
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Basic Introduction
Yu-Hsin Wu graduated from the Department of Mechanical Engineering at National Cheng Kung University and then went to Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e) to obtain a master's degree in Automotive Technology. He is currently working as an electrical engineer at AE Group Electric Drives, mainly responsible for the development of battery management systems.
Background
2023 - Present Working as an electrical engineer at AE Group Electric Drives, responsible for the development of battery management systems
2020 - 2022 Master of Automotive Technology at Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e)
2016 - 2020 Studied Mechanical Engineering at National Cheng Kung University
Exploring implementation and career in the fleet
The motivation for entering the student equation program came from the course planning of the Department of Mechanical Engineering. Among the required courses for the third year of the Department of Mechanical Engineering, there is a mechanical project implementation class, and the class requires that every team of six people needs to make a small mechanical design.
"The Department of Mechanical Engineering has a lot of theories and exams. I was unsure after finishing my freshman year. I felt like I didn't have any practical skills when I had to face the practical application of this major."
During the interview, Yuxin shared with us very frankly that he just wanted to increase his practical experience at first, and happened to encounter the formation of the National Cheng Kung University team, so he joined the National Cheng Kung University team with a try-it attitude. Since he was not very interested in mechanical processing at that time, and mainly wanted to learn the power system control part, Yuxin chose to join the power group in the early days of the National Cheng Kung University team.
Since it was still in its early stages, the power group did not need to make any batteries themselves. The minimum goal at the time was to have a car that could be driven by people and that was electric and could move. The power group was to drive the energy output from the battery to the wheels, which was the entire power chain.
At that time, there was no professor to lead the team. The team members had to find a way to learn something new without anyone to teach them. The power team of the entire team only had three or four people, led by two seniors. "At that time, we could only think of making simple circuits and connecting the wires. We designed the throttle, and then some gears and gear ratios to control the throttle through analog signals to determine how much power to output." The entire power team and even the big team grew and prospered gradually through such step-by-step exploration.
In addition to design, the focus of the student equation is how to implement these design ideas . In the process, you may encounter many restrictions and difficulties, or even not know which components can be used. The first year of the team is mainly to familiarize yourself with the implementation. Starting from the second year, the National Cheng Kung University Power Team intends to improve the relevant design and also wants to design the circuit according to the FSAE rules. Therefore, on the existing basis, more things began to be added, and Yu Xin also took over as the leader of the power team at this time.
However, as time goes by, it is not only the experience of the National Cheng Kung University team that adds up, but also Yuxin's imagination of future studies and career. Yuxin said that if she was just studying, she would not have thought about so many things, but it was because of joining the team that she began to be interested in power systems and control. Because she can really apply some of the things she learned in theory, she has gained a lot of sense of accomplishment from the practice.
“To put it simply, the team had a great influence on my future career choice. After doing these things, I began to feel that I could continue in the field of electric vehicles.”
Student Formula opens the curtain for studying abroad
The student equation experience also gave Yuxin a concrete idea about her decision to study abroad and her choice of field. At that time, Taiwan's electric vehicle industry was not well developed, and many countries were ahead of Taiwan. For example, the Netherlands strongly advocated environmental protection and green energy, and the establishment of relevant regulations was relatively complete. This also made Yuxin, who decided to develop in the field of electric vehicles, determined to study abroad.
In addition to the decision to study abroad, the student equation experience also provided substantial help for Yuxin's application. European schools will only decide whether to admit applicants based on the written review data. In addition to hard thresholds such as English proficiency, applicants must also rely on their resume and motivation to stand out. For example, whether you have written research papers during college, the school will pay more attention to and hope that you have more project-based experience.
As for the choice of school, Yuxin said that the advantage of TU/e is that Automotive Technology is a whole department. After entering, you can choose control, internal combustion engine, or electronic components, etc. There are also mechanism design, dynamic control, and there are many people doing vehicle dynamic analysis, such as gravity analysis of tires or mechanism steering. The design of the required courses will also touch on various aspects, and then you can decide which field you want to delve into through electives.
Differences in learning attitudes between Asia and Europe
It is inevitable to face differences in national conditions and learning culture during the study abroad period. "I am very good at taking exams. When I was in Taiwan, I could actually get good results by cramming before the exam." But at TU/e, half of the score comes from the final exam, and the other half comes from group work. Moreover, each semester is only two months (there are four semesters a year, and it is recommended to take no more than three courses per semester). During this time, you must establish a cooperative relationship with the new object and complete a project. "You have to take care of your final exam score while taking care of the project."
Yuxin also mentioned that when she was in college, she was not very likely to raise opinions when discussing group assignments, but she did not want to be a "slacker", so she would make sure to do her part well. However, if the same situation happens in TU/e, others will regard her attitude as not positive, because you can actually do more, but you did not try your best, so other group members will give you a very low score during the peer review, and this will of course be reflected in the final semester grades. "I think this may also be a cultural difference. Asians are less likely to stand out. Everyone will first watch how others do it and listen to what others say."
Yuxin, who was used to listening to other people's opinions before deciding what to do, also took some time to adapt to this culture. "Practice responding to other people's opinions or promoting group discussions by expressing who you agree with and what you disagree with."
In addition, homework is usually more integrated, not just simple exercises. For example, you need to use software such as Matlab to write it out and output it as a picture before you can hand it in. "So I think there are a lot of things to learn. In addition to the theory in class, you have to find a way to learn something else so that you can write your homework." However, apart from the sharp discussions during group homework, if you have a good learning attitude, it is easy to be accepted by classmates. "If they see that you want to learn or want to ask questions, as long as you have the right attitude, they (referring to classmates) are actually very happy to help others." After having the experience of working on a project together, everyone will make an appointment to discuss even individual homework together.
The first year of the two-year master's program is mainly for courses, while the second year is for internships and thesis writing. Different directions require different efforts. "I felt that in the first year, I finally adapted to the feeling of working in a team and working on projects with different people. In the second year, I suddenly had to go back to doing research on my own."
Find the motivation for research and reflect on "why"
Compared to studying and taking exams, Yuxin said that after returning to doing research, she needs to find motivation to complete it. "Every week when I have meetings with teachers, they are in a good mood, so I think there is no pressure, but what they actually mean is that you should catch up with your own progress." In addition to finding motivation to complete research, the most important thing in the research process is critical thinking.
Yuxin also discovered her own shortcomings during the process: "I think I have a shortcoming. If I see that the result seems good, I will be very happy to tell the teacher in the meeting, and then think that it is good. But they will ask you, why do you think it becomes like this? Or if you change some factors, will it become better or worse?" The reason behind a good or bad result is more important. Obtaining a good small result does not mean that the final result will also be good. Therefore, it is necessary to constantly reflect on "why" and think about your entire research from different angles.
Previously we built a fleet, now we build an overseas career
Start with a thesis project and practice working with people from different levels
Because Yuxin's thesis research is in cooperation with an off-campus company, in addition to the school teachers, there is another company manager in the company. Although he is a company manager, Yuxin said that here he is more like an equal to the manager, and he needs to take the initiative to discuss with the manager to find the direction for the project. "I think what I learned more in the second year is how to work with your superiors and people of different levels."
According to Yuxin's experience, for each weekly meeting, she has to remind her supervisor what part of the project is currently progressing, what the conclusion of the last meeting was, and what progress she has made this week based on this conclusion. She has to take some specific actions first, and then her supervisor will give her advice based on these actions. "For professors and supervisors, what they want to see is whether you are on the right track and whether you are making progress in this matter. " Yuxin said that professors and supervisors are actually the role of instructors. They will not directly tell students what to do, but they have to think about what to do by themselves, and then they will tell you whether it is suitable based on your ideas.
New explorations in small creations
The entire AE Group has many subsidiaries, including Racing, Medical, and marine businesses, all of which are mainly motor-related applications. Yuxin is currently an electrical engineer, and the projects he is involved in include the design and testing of the battery powertrain for e-racing cars. Yuxin is mainly responsible for the battery management system. "The selling point of the entire project is to design the powertrain for e-racing cars with a dual battery system, and my main job is the Master BMS (Battery Management System) and the system integration of the battery."
As a small company under the group, Yuxin believes that the main advantage is that it is easier to see the whole picture of the project from the entire power chain, from batteries, motors, to transmission . In addition, there are about five or six members in the project. Yuxin and another colleague are responsible for the power system, while others are responsible for mechanical processing and motor testing. Basically, colleagues have multiple roles and can work with very powerful people. "People who choose to work here really like this field."
Yuxin also said without hesitation that there are still some disadvantages. Compared with large companies that give new employees a one or two month training period, Yuxin started participating in projects the day after reporting in. There is not much formal training. All the knowledge can only rely on the notes left by predecessors and a few colleagues to rely on. Other knowledge required must be learned by self-study. "At least I think I am lucky. I can learn a lot from my colleagues. It's just that there is no formal time for me to learn new things. I still feel a little bit regretful." At the same time, there is also less budget for the company's team building, or related subsidies such as Dutch and leadership courses, which is also one of the disadvantages of small companies.
Conclusion
Finally, Yuxin also provided some suggestions for junior students who are interested in developing related fields. In terms of battery management systems, most of the battery-related courses that Yuxin took in school were still about basic chemical reactions, and there were no courses on battery management systems. Therefore, Yuxin suggested that everyone can take a look at the existing battery management system specifications. There are currently two or three main types in use, or you can also take a look at how the commercially available specifications are written.
"When it comes to work, you need passion and interest to do it long-term and do it well."
Yuxin encourages everyone to try more activities during college, to get in touch with more things or different people, and maybe they will find something they like.
