VEHICLE CONTROL UNIT
THE BRAINS OF YOUR VEHICLE
Electric vehicles are made up of many components that need to communicate with each other. A Vehicle Control Unit (VCU) is the brain of a vehicle responsible for managing this communication.
Other VCUs on the market are large, expensive, incompatible with many applications and components, and/or are only designed for specific ecosystems. Most Micro-mobility startups are stuck with these ecosystems, or end up facing the expense of developing their own.
EDL’s VCU is the modular swiss army knife of hardware management designed to be vendor agnostic and compatible with any hardware. It is IP67 waterproof, compact, affordable and modular, which allows us to keep costs down, with optional feature expandability as needed.
VEHICLE CONTROL UNIT
THE BRAINS OF YOUR VEHICLE
Electric vehicles are made up of many components that need to communicate with each other. A VCU is the brain of a vehicle responsible for managing this communication.
Other VCUs on the market are large, expensive, or incompatible with many applications and components, and are only designed for specific ecosystems. Most Micro-mobility startups are stuck with these ecosystems, or end up facing the expense of developing their own.
EDL’s VCU is the modular swiss army knife of hardware management designed to be vendor agnostic and compatible with any hardware. It is IP67 waterproof, compact, affordable and modular, which allows us to keep costs down, with optional feature expandability as needed.
NETWORKING & IoT
This compact VCU is designed for modularity. It is networkable, communicating wired or wirelessly with multiple VCUs on the same vehicle or between multiple vehicles allowing for modular intelligent components, and scalable architectures.
VCU IoT Features
Hardware
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Modular daughter board — Full IoT capability inside the existing enclosure; no change to exterior dimensions
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Onboard battery backup — Stays powered and reporting even when main power is cut
Connectivity & location
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GPS tracking — Real-time vehicle location
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4G/LTE connectivity — Always-on cellular link, no external gateway
Security
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Theft prevention — Stays trackable even when main power is cut
-
Geofencing — Set boundaries, get alerts when a vehicle leaves its zone
Fleet management
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Remote monitoring & diagnostics — Check status and diagnose issues remotely
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OTA updates — Push firmware and features fleet-wide, no physical access
-
Usage analytics — Insight into how vehicles are used, deployed, and serviced
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Third-party integration — Feeds VCU data into your existing fleet platforms
STOP WORRYING ABOUT COMPATIBILITY
Are you tired of trying to figure out if the components you want in your vehicle are compatible? Are you frustrated with trying to work with black boxes that you can't get the right behavior out of? Worry no longer!
Engineering Design Lab will custom program this computer for your unique vehicle. Adjusting responsiveness, controllability, and vehicle behaviors based on user interactions. We will customize its program to whatever special sensors, lights, actuators, motors, and other components you want to use. We can fine tune the behavior so your final vehicle is responsive, safe, and effective. This modular versatile VCU is designed for compatibility with any vehicle architecture.
NETWORKING & IoT
This compact VCU is designed for modularity. It is networkable, and communicate wirelessly with multiple VCUs on the same vehicle or between multiple vehicles allowing for modular intelligent components, and scalable architectures
Hardware
-
Modular daughter board — Full IoT capability inside the existing enclosure; no change to exterior dimensions
-
Onboard battery backup — Stays powered and reporting even when main power is cut
Connectivity & location
-
GPS tracking — Real-time vehicle location
-
4G/LTE connectivity — Always-on cellular link, no external gateway
Security
-
Theft prevention — Stays trackable even when main power is cut
-
Geofencing — Set boundaries, get alerts when a vehicle leaves its zone
Fleet management
-
Remote monitoring & diagnostics — Check status and diagnose issues remotely
-
OTA updates — Push firmware and features fleet-wide, no physical access
-
Usage analytics — Insight into how vehicles are used, deployed, and serviced
-
Third-party integration — Feeds VCU data into your existing fleet platforms
AS USED IN PROJECT LIGHTFOOT
Lightfoot, a solar-powered electric cargo scooter designed by Otherlab for short-distance travel and deliveries. It features 120W solar panels providing 3 miles of range per hour, a 20 mph top speed, and 37 miles of total range.
