A student-built electric vehicle connecting core workshop skills with sensors, automation and autonomous mobility.Our approach<\/a>The donor vehicle<\/a>Advantages & limitations<\/a>High-voltage safety<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n
01 \u00b7 Preparation<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Learning starts with the build<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
As part of edumob 2.0 \u2013 Bridging VET education and next-gen autonomous vehicles<\/strong>, P\u00e4rnu hariduskeskus is developing a DIY vehicle that brings together automotive, welding, electrical and mechatronics students.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The vehicle should be straightforward to build and useful for teaching. Students will practise their core skills through real tasks: dismantling, measuring, fabrication, welding, wiring, programming and testing. Each task contributes to a shared, functioning learning platform.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The more we can do within our own school, the better.<\/strong> Students and teachers will prepare the donor, adapt its structure, manufacture brackets and mountings, and install and connect components. Specialist services such as sandblasting and powder coating may be outsourced where appropriate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We prioritise reused components, readily available parts, standard materials and simple designs. Open-source software and parts made in-house, including 3D-printed components, will be used where suitable. Solutions should be understandable, repairable and adaptable by other schools.<\/p>\n\n\n\n One vehicle, different curricula.<\/strong> A mounting designed by one group can be manufactured by welding students, installed by automotive students and connected and tested by electrical and mechatronics students.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 02 \u00b7 Donor vehicle<\/p>\n\n\n\n We selected the Mitsubishi i-MiEV as our main donor vehicle<\/strong> because it combines local availability with a relatively straightforward electric vehicle architecture. Estonia\u2019s government programme, launched in 2011, introduced these cars for social workers, establishing a local fleet. Many of these vehicles have now reached an age where their usefulness for daily transport is increasingly limited by battery degradation and reduced driving range. For a school, however, an older i-MiEV can still provide a complete set of real electric vehicle systems in one compact platform. Selecting a suitable donor allows us to reuse the original drivetrain, charging equipment and control systems, while directing our resources towards student-built structures, sensor mountings and additional control equipment. This gives an existing vehicle a second purpose and makes the preparation itself part of the learning process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n These cars are now more than ten years old, and battery condition varies considerably. The original battery had a nominal capacity of 16 kWh<\/strong>. In a heavily degraded example, practical driving range may be only around 20 km<\/strong>, depending on battery condition, temperature and use. This is an example of a worn battery, rather than a typical range for every i-MiEV.<\/p>\n\n\n\n That may be too little for everyday transport, but long driving range is not important for our project<\/strong>. Short workshop movements and controlled test runs need much less energy. A battery assessed as safe and suitable for continued use can still serve a valuable educational purpose.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In our vocational teaching context, the i-MiEV is a moving training stand<\/strong>: it contains charging connections, an onboard charger, a traction battery, an inverter, an electric motor, a DC\/DC converter and the associated controls. These real systems provide a foundation for demonstrations, diagnostics and measurements. Preparing the body and improving access will make the components easier to study.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We intend to retain the original drivetrain, wiring and vehicle control units wherever practical. Our approach is to interface with selected control inputs and commands so that additional equipment can request vehicle actions. Steering and braking will also require suitable actuation and control arrangements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The relatively straightforward architecture makes the i-MiEV a manageable starting point for investigation. However, immobiliser functions, CAN communication and safety interlocks must be understood and verified<\/strong>; successful autonomous operation is a development goal, not an automatic result of retaining the original wiring.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 03 \u00b7 At a glance<\/p>\n\n\n\n Our donor choice balances affordable, practical learning with the constraints of reusing a complete electric vehicle.<\/p>\n\n\n\nBuilt in-house<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Affordable and understandable<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Why the Mitsubishi i-MiEV?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/edumob.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/image-3-1024x768.jpeg\")
Limited range, lasting educational value<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
A \u201cmoving training stand\u201d<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/edumob.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/image-2-1024x673.jpeg\")
Building on the original controls<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Advantages & limitations<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
+ Advantages for our project<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![Ivo Kruusam\u00e4gi \/ Wikimedia Commons<\/a> \u00b7](\"https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/wiki\/File:Mitsubishi_iMiev_elektriautod_Eestis.JPG\"){kind=link}
![Morio \/ Wikimedia Commons<\/a> \u00b7](\"https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/wiki\/File:Mitsubishi_i_MiEV_engine_room.jpg\"){kind=link}