Abstract:

The use of solar vehicle is a step towards reducing dependency on the conventional energy, utilizing the non-renewable sources of power for various applications . This work focuses on the application of solar energy to power up the electric vehicle. The basic principle of operation is to charge the battery using solar and the charged batteries are used to drive the motor and set the vehicle in motion. The Photo Voltaic (PV) Module connected either in parallel or series might be a better option, but costlier. Researchers have endeavored using power converters and batteries to make it cost effective. 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. Depending upon the condition of the battery the charging is done to avoid overcharging and discharge beyond the lower limit. The voltage is then boosted up using the boost dc-dc converter, and then an inverter through which dc power is converted to ac power ultimately running the BLDC motor which is used as the drive motor for the vehicle application. The study focuses on the design, simulation and implementation of the various components of the solar based electric vehicle namely: solar panel, charge controller, battery, dc-dc boost converter, dc-ac power converter (Inverter circuit) and BLDC motor. All these components are studied in real time and also modeled individually using MATLAB/SIMULINK and the complete hardware integration of the system is tested to meet the application requirement.