International Journal of Electrical and Electronics Research ISSN 2348-6988 (online)

Vol. 3, Issue 2, pp: (270-273), Month: April - June 2015, Available at: www.researchpublish.com

Solar Powered Vehicle

1
Abhinya Chaturvedi, 2Kirti Kushwaha, 3Parul Kashyap, 4Dr. J. P. Navani
1,2,3,4
Electrical & Electronics Department, Raj Kumar Goel Institute of Technology for Women, Ghaziabad, India

Abstract: The face of the automotive industry is being re-shaped by concerns over oil supplies, international policy
and fuel costs. A wide variety of hybrid technologies are now available including discussion of hydrogen
possibilities. The solar powered car, one of the oldest alternative energy vehicles, has many applications to the
emerging electric vehicle market. The development of a telemetry system for a solar powered race car aids in a
better understanding of the energy usage of a vehicle and the aspects applicable to electric vehicles as a whole. This
paper surveys the history and future of solar and electric vehicles and provides an overview of a typical solar car.
Keywords: automotive, electric vehicles, powered, solar car.

I. INTRODUCTION

This paper discusses about the usage of solar energy to power up the vehicle. In order to achieve the required voltage, the
Photo Voltaic (PV) Module may be connected either in parallel or series, but its costlier. Thus to make it cost effective,
power converters and batteries are been used. The electrical charge is consolidated from the PV panel and directed to the
output terminals to produce low voltage (Direct Current). The charge controllers direct this power acquired from the solar
panel to the batteries. According to the state of the battery, the charging is done, so as to avoid overcharging and deep
discharge. The voltage is then boosted up using the boost power converter, ultimately running the BLDC motor which is
used as the drive motor for our vehicle application. In the course work, the characteristic features of the components: solar
panel, charge controller, battery, power converter and BLDC motor required for the vehicle application were studied in
real time and also were modelled individually and the complete hardware integration of the system is tested to meet up the
application’s requirement.

II. HISTORY OF SOLAR VEHICLES

The first combination of photovoltaic devices and electric vehicles happened in the late 1970’s. To generate more
publicity and research interest in solar powered transportation, Hans Tholstrup organized a 1,865 mi (3,000 km) race
across the Australian outback in 1987. Called the World Solar Challenge (WSC), competitors were invited from industry
research groups and top universities around the globe. General Motors (GM) won the event by a large margin, achieving
speeds over 40 mph with their Sunraycer vehicle.
In response to their victory, GM teamed with the US Department of Energy (DOE) to hold the GM Sunrayce in 1990. The
North American Solar Challenge in 2005, is held every two years across different routes. In 2005, the race set a new
record for the longest solar vehicle race, covering 3960 km from Austin, Texas, USA to Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
Despite initially being dominated and funded by General Motors, the design and construction of solar vehicles has
produced its own unique development process.
Due to the unique nature of the solar community and events, these technologies remain an untapped resource. Significant
improvements and understanding of electric vehicles has been developed that can be applied to a broader range of
automobiles to provide more efficient and cleaner alternatives over combustion engine vehicles.

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Research Publish Journals
 International Journal of Electrical and Electronics Research ISSN 2348-6988 (online)
Vol. 3, Issue 2, pp: (270-273), Month: April - June 2015, Available at: www.researchpublish.com

Fig.1 First solar car

BASIC FUNCTIONAL DIAGRAM

Fig.2 Basic block Diagram Representation of Solar vehicle.

III. REVIEW WORK

In this paper, the study of all previous works related to the electric and solar cars have been done. Solar powered vehicle
is a three wheel drive and has been used for shorter distances. The main concentration was made on improving the design
and making them cost effective. Energy from Sun is captured by the solar panels and is converted to electrical energy The
electrical energy thus obtained is being fed to the batteries that get charged and is used to run 24 V DC high torques DC
series motor. The shaft of the motor is connected to the rear wheel of the vehicle through chain sprocket. The batteries are
initially fully charged and thereafter they are charged by panels.

Fig.3 Solar Car

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 International Journal of Electrical and Electronics Research ISSN 2348-6988 (online)
Vol. 3, Issue 2, pp: (270-273), Month: April - June 2015, Available at: www.researchpublish.com

IV. WORKING
After giving an overview of the cars which are already in use, here is a detailed description of our solar powered vehicle.
It is a four wheeler , two seater vehicle. In this vehicle we have used a belt pulley mechanism. The solar energy is
harnessed using solar panels which are used for charging the batteries. The batteries run the motor which drives the wheel
of the vehicle. The vehicle which we have made as our project uses a belt pulley mechanism in which the shaft of the
motor is connected through the belt pulley system. The power supplied to the batteries is from the solar panels which are
giving a total output of 4ooW and they are then used for charging the batteries. The batteries which we are using are lead
acid batteries which are of 48V rating each of 12V. The motor’s rating is of 48V which gets charged through the four
12V batteries. The belt used in our project is a timing belt which has teeth that fit into a matching toothed pulley. When
correctly tensioned, they have no slippage, run at constant speed, and are often used to transfer direct motion for indexing
or timing purposes. They are often used in lieu of chains or gears, so there is less noise and a lubrication bath is not
necessary. Timing belts need the least tension of all belts, and are among the most efficient. We have laid emphasis on the
economical part so that it can be used to cover short distances without consuming energy from external sources and at the
same time keep the environment pollution free.

Fig.4 BLDC Motor

Fig.5 Battery Bank

V. APPLICATION
Electric vehicles can become more practical and usable by applying many of the technologies refined within the solar
vehicle community. To maximize performance and range, designers must maximize the efficiency of the electrical
components while minimizing the power requirements for motion. The power needed to maintain a constant velocity V
must overcome the aerodynamic drag, road grade and rolling resistance of the vehicle and is written as
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 International Journal of Electrical and Electronics Research ISSN 2348-6988 (online)
Vol. 3, Issue 2, pp: (270-273), Month: April - June 2015, Available at: www.researchpublish.com
P (V ) = P
aero + Pgrade + Proll
where
Paero = 0.5ρairCdAf V 3
Pgrade = mgzV
Proll = mgV Cr
for ρair, the density of the air, Cd, the coefficient of aero-dynamic drag of the vehicle, Af, the frontal area of the vehicle, V,
the velocity, m, the mass of the vehicle, g, the acceleration due to gravity, z, the road grade and Cr, the vehicle’s
coefficient of rolling resistance. In any given environment, ρ air, g and z are constants not within the control of the vehicle.

VI. CONCLUSION
The solar vehicle solves many problems related to the environment and is the best pollution free method. We need to
make use of them so that we can reduce our dependence on fossil fuels. Solar vehicles do have some disadvantages like
small speed range, initial cost is high. Also, the rate of conversion of energy is not satisfactory (only 17%). But these
disadvantages can be easily overcome by conducting further research in this area; like the problem of solar cells can be
solved by using the ultra efficient solar cells that give about 30-35% efficiency. As this field of automobiles will be
explored the problems will
get solved. The solar automobiles have a huge prospective market and we should start using them in our day to day life.

REFERENCES
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