Journal of Fundamentals of Renewable Energy and Applications
Open Access
ISSN: 2090-4541
ISSN: 2090-4541
Jose Alejandro Posada and Jose Palacio
Pascual Bravo University Institute, Colombia
Scientific Tracks Abstracts: J Fundam Renewable Energy Appl
A solar electric vehicle was designed, constructed, simulated and evaluated at Pascual Bravo University Institute. The main structure was made from guadua angustifolia with joints from rope and epoxy. Engine and front wheel supports were made from 1020 steel. Front and rear-wheels suspension was reused from motorcycles and rack-and-pinion steering from a vehicle. A 14 kW 72VDC brushless permanent magnet motor with a Sevcon Gen4 controller was connected by a chain transmission to the rear wheels. Six in-series-connected 12V deep cycle lead acid batteries can be charged by a 250 kW polycrystalline solar panel, a 120VAC charger, or by the Kinetic Energy Recovery System (KERS). The vehicle can carry two persons at 50 km/h and 50 km range. Performance simulations were done in an in-house Matlab code which compares well with the experiments. A Data Acquisition System was built with an Arduino Uno through an ATmega32U4 microcontroller and a micro SD card to record battery voltage and current during charging and discharging operations. Multimeter and volt-amp-meter measurements were done to verify DAQ measurements. The battery discharging time when the motor is operating at full throttle with the vehicle lifted in jacks is around 7 hours and the current is 5A. The battery volt discharging curve compares well with the manufacturer. High current peaks were observed during engine deceleration which could be produced by the KERS. The solar panel can charge the batteries in 22 hours and the AC charger in 3 hours. A preventive maintenance plan was also developed.
Jose Alejandro Posada has a PhD in Aerospace Engineering from West Virginia University (WVU), a MEng in Aeronautical Engineering from Pontifical Bolivarian University (UPB), and a BSc in Mechanical Engineering from National University of Colombia. He is the CEO of Viaja Verde, a company that converts motorcycles to electricity and a Professor and Environmental Research Group leader at Pascual Bravo University Institute. He was a Visiting Professor in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at WVU, and an Associate Professor at UPB. He has made contributions in the prediction of airborne virus viability and the reduction of induced drag in aircraft.
Email: jposadam@gmail.com