Author: Karan Thakkar

KZ –> MZ Updates

MZ is our 2026 competition spec car. It is an iteration of KZ, and as such you will find most of the firmware to be very similar.

This decision was made to minimize scope change and push UCI to bring their first vehicle to the annual FSAE competition.

Summary of Changes

• Reorganized file structures
• Firmware is split into:

src/
    peripherals                    // handles low level drivers and wrappers for communication protocols
    utils                           // useful constants
    vehicle/
        comms                       //communication handler over CAN
        controls                    //custom algorithms designed for specific use cases
        devices                     //logic level interface with peripherals and vehicle state

• New Inverter: DTI HV550, new motor: EMRAX 228 MV

  • The logic stays the same but the handler changes

• New features include:

  • Watchdog Timer
  • Sensors Added (Wheel speed, Shock travel)
  • Regen Braking Map
  • Migrate Traction Control, Launch Control from KZ
  • TSSI bypass per FSAE rules
  • PCC thermistors data + Plug and Play Charging
  • System derating based on temps
  • Closed loop control of Fans/Pumps

Moving forward into Fall 2026

The goal is to create our own dev board, write more bare-metal code, and build the backend for reliable autonomy.

You can expect the firmware team to have minimal tasks as we transition to autonomy-centric but rather be a team that maintains a reliable system as hardware changes.