Internship Recap - Formosa EV
March 2025 - August 2025
At a glance
Skills: electric vehicle systems, design for manufacturing, CAD (OnShape), 3D-printing, welding, system integration
What: EV Engineering Intern at Formosa EV, a California startup enabling modern and user-friendly electric vehicle conversions.
How: Advanced Formosa EV’s mission through mechanical design, fabrication/assembly, and system integration.
Why: Developed my mechanical and systems engineering skill set. Furthered my knowledge in the sustainable mobility industry and the startup world.
Details
Working underneath Formosa EV’s demonstration vehicle: a 1965 Chevrolet Corvair
This summer, I accepted an internship with Formosa EV, a newly founded startup aiming to revolutionize electric vehicle conversions. Driven by the idea that EV conversions can (and should!) be both modern and user friendly, Formosa EV is developing an advanced system of components to convert any vehicle to electric.
Rear of the company demonstration car, with the mount I designed and fabricated supporting the radiator
In my role as an EV Engineering Intern, I widened my engineering skill set, diving into mechanical and systems engineering projects critical to Formosa EV’s success. Entering this internship with an electrical/computer engineering background, I was confronted with many unfamiliar challenges, forcing me to learn and adapt on the fly.
Using a handheld laser welder to weld sheet metal brackets
As an early member of the team (employee #6!) and Formosa EV’s first intern, I had the unique opportunity to experience what goes into transforming an idea into a business. I worked directly with Formosa EV’s CEO, Zack Hwang, to shape the direction of Formosa EV’s first products. Along the way, I observed the connected nature of engineering to all other parts of a business. Every engineering decision is a trade-off, and it is crucial to balance time, cost, and risk. Working in a small team provided me a high level of ownership over my projects, allowing me to oversee projects from ideation, to design, to fabrication.
Collection of sheet metal parts I designed
Some highlights from my summer at Formosa EV include:
- TP130 High Voltage Relocation Lid: Designed, procured, and validated custom parts to physically relocate the high voltage connectors of an off-the-shelf electric motor. Used OnShape to design high voltage bus bars and a 3D-printed replacement lid.
- Accelerator Pedal Position Sensor: Adapted the accelerator pedal on the company’s demonstration vehicle from a mechanical linkage to an electronic sensor. Designed a low-cost, 3D-printed enclosure for the accelerator pedal position sensor to protect sensor components from road debris. Created an adapter to connect the pedal to a low-cost and widely available OEM throttle cable.
- VCU Test-bench: Established a test-bench for our prototype Vehicle Control Unit PCB and corresponding mobile app. Uploaded and validated firmware and software updates, identifying and documenting bugs present in the system.
- Corvair Brackets: Designed, fabricated, and installed a system of sheet metal brackets to mount EV conversion components in Formosa EV’s demonstration vehicle, a 1965 Chevrolet Corvair. Oversaw the project from start-to-finish across eleven unique brackets, including welding the brackets with a handheld laser welder. Created brackets to secure the rear batteries, EV motor, power distribution module, and radiator.
Check out my final presentation to see more details from my projects. Also check out this video to see the shop!
The Formosa EV California team: Zack, Justin, Indy (four-legged friend), and me