This week we received word that FSAE (our project competition’s governing body) approved our Failure Modes Effects and Analysis, FMEA, report. We’d like to start out with a thank you to all the team members who spent a whole week filling it out. The FMEA is a document with 112 different Failure Modes that can/will occur within the electrical system of the racing car before/ during/ after the race. The electrical system includes the 72V Battery Pack, the HV cables, the motor controllers, the motors, and the LV control circuits. All 112 need to be taken into account to keep the driver, crew, and spectators safe. The report includes failure causes, effects, severity ratings, occurrence ratings, and detection ratings with an overall score which describes the danger level associated with each failure mode. Some Failure Modes like the High Voltage system shorting to the chassis are extremely dangerous and can result in possible lethal injuries. This information is detailed in the “risk section” of each failure mode. All sections were scrutinized by the Society of Automotive Engineers and approval signifies that our design will perform safely once manufactured and engineering ethics dictate that we fulfill our promise to enforce all safety procedures in the document.