Firmware Engineer, Battery System
About The Position
QuantumScape is seeking a Firmware Engineer for its Battery System team. This role is responsible for all key functions of a battery system, including monitoring, protection, and communications. The engineer will create algorithms for state of charge estimation, define battery states and transitions, implement communication protocols, and ensure reliable protection functions. The operating performance and safety of the battery pack are critically dependent on well-designed and thoroughly validated firmware, from interrupt timing control and peripheral configuration to innovative SOC estimation algorithms.
Requirements
- A relevant Bachelor’s degree and 9+ years’ experience or a relevant Master’s degree and 8+ years’ experience or relevant Ph.D. and 5+ years’ experience
- 5+ years writing BMS firmware for lithium-Ion battery packs
- Proficiency with TI C2000, STM32 or similar microcontroller platforms
- In-depth understanding of timing and latency control of RTOS and Interrupts
- Experienced in designing and fine-tuning SOC/SOH estimation algorithms
- Familiar with configuring hardware peripherals (ADC, PWM, Comparator, UART, etc) and writing drivers
- Capable of creating a firmware platform from scratch
- Comfortable with working on medium to high power battery packs (>20kW)
- Good understanding of battery protection features and safety requirements such as UL2054, UL1973, UL 9540A and IEC 62133
- Experience implementing battery/power management communication protocols such as SMBus, PMBus and ModBus
- Track record with at least two battery products through prototype bring up, validation and regulatory approval
- Fluent in C for bare-metal and RTOS environments; comfortable with fixed-point math for real-time control
Nice To Haves
- Experience in digital control of power converters (PFC, DC/DC, Inverters, etc)
- Good understanding of Lithium-Ion battery chemistry and characteristics
- Familiarity with OpenBMC integration and Redfish/IPMI protocols
- Experience with code review and audits for regulatory compliance
- Experience with configurable modular multi-pack systems
- Exposure to OCP power shelf communication and management standards
- Experience in a customer facing application engineering role
Responsibilities
- Create a firmware platform for the battery pack with bare metal/RTOS and drivers
- Define pinouts of microcontrollers to ensure proper allocation of peripherals
- Design protection functions with redundancy and consistent timing
- Power sequencing and pre-charge control for inrush current limiting
- Design SOC/SOH estimation algorithm for our unique solid-state batteries
- Define states and transitions to cover all operating modes
- Ensure minimum operating and sleep mode power consumption
- Create a scheme for firmware read/write protections and upgrade
- Collaborate with ODM partners to create and validate firmware protocols
- Bring up hardware platforms that are built from scratch by identifying issues and working with hardware engineers to resolve them
- Provide firmware validation and regression test plans to our lab
Benefits
- Annual bonus
- Generous RSU/Equity package
- Employee paid health care
- Employee Stock Purchase Plan (ESPP)
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Senior
Education Level
Ph.D. or professional degree
