What has been used for years in Formula 1 as KERS (kinetic energy recovery system) will also find its way into everyday e-cars. Manufacturers and suppliers are working on various systems through which electrical energy can be recovered, converted or stored.

So-called ultracapacitors can provide an energy boost when installed in a vehicle energy storage system, can be charged millions of times and are particularly suitable for applications with a large number of cycles. The capacitors also do not require any rare metals and can be completely discharged without causing any damage. With an FKT test system for such energy storage systems, MCD Elektronik is now taking a further step into the electromobile future.

Not only the functional test of assembled single boards, the current consumption or different voltages on the board can be mapped via test needles, but also measurements of the charging and discharging current including curve diagram. In the process, the circuit boards are stimulated with up to 200 amps, which corresponds to the maximum current in the subsequent on-board power supply system. The system communicates with the test specimen via a CAN interface. A test detect function has also been integrated via short current pulses, which checks whether power units are immediately disconnected or switched off in the event of a malfunction. To ensure flexible and sustainable use, the FKT can be flexibly converted to alternative test specimens by means of interchangeable sets.