Tinuala Aanuoluwapo, a first-class graduate of the Federal University Oye-Ekiti (FUOYE), has showcased a real-time monitoring system for an electric vehicle that she developed as an undergraduate. The system integrates an HC-05 Bluetooth module, a PIC16F836 microcontroller, and an LCD interface to track voltage, current, and speed, aiming to increase trust in electric vehicles and reduce carbon emissions.
Innovation Driven by Climate Urgency
Tinuala, who earned a B.Eng. in Electrical and Electronics Engineering from FUOYE, explained on LinkedIn on June 25 that she built the system because “the climate can’t wait for fossil fuels to phase themselves out.” She noted that transportation is a major contributor to carbon emissions and that electric vehicles (EVs) are part of the solution, but they need to be easier to monitor and trust.
“I built this because the climate can’t wait for fossil fuels to phase themselves out. Transportation is one of the biggest drivers of carbon emissions,” she wrote.
Technical Details of the Monitoring System
For her undergraduate thesis in July 2024, Tinuala designed a system that uses an HC-05 Bluetooth module for wireless communication between sensors and a monitor. She programmed a PIC16F836 microcontroller in C to capture and transmit data on voltage, current, and speed. An LCD interface provides instant on-the-spot performance evaluation.
“This project sat at the intersection of embedded systems, power electronics, and wireless communication, three areas that I believe will only become more critical as electric mobility scales, especially across emerging markets like Nigeria,” she stated.
She emphasized that EV adoption depends on trust, and trust depends on visibility into vehicle performance. “Climate change isn’t a future problem — it’s solvable now, one circuit at a time,” she added.
Public Reactions and Celebrations
The innovation garnered praise on LinkedIn. Adeleye Otepola commented: “Congratulations on this impressive milestone. Seeing research inspire real-world engineering solutions is deeply rewarding.” Micheal Ogayemi wrote: “Great work! Every successful product starts with a prototype. Keep building and refining, you’re on the right track.” Mark Acheampong Adjarko expressed interest, asking: “Wow! That's very innovative. Can you tell me more about the project? I'm interested.” Emmanuel Nwanja noted: “Tinuala, this is simply brilliant! How can our partners connect and interact with your system for global asset monitoring on our platform?” Goodnews Antigha praised the hardware work: “Building hardware from scratch to get clear diagnostics is no joke, especially when you're tying together the programming, wireless communication, and power metrics all at once.”
Broader Context of Student Innovation
This achievement follows other student-led engineering projects in Nigeria. Previously, a UNIBEN PhD student built a car as a final project, spending N1.2 million, highlighting the growing trend of hands-on innovation in Nigerian universities.
