Design and analysis of a micro solar electric vehicle for application in Pakistan

Husnain, Ali (2022) Design and analysis of a micro solar electric vehicle for application in Pakistan. Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

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Abstract

Global transport sector is the third largest contributor of greenhouse gas emissions. Governments around the world as well other global stakeholders realize the intensity of the situation and are transitioning towards zero or low-emissions transportation modes in order to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and stop climate change. While the global electric vehicle (EV) adoption is on rise, developing countries like Pakistan have been facing many obstacles in the face of EV adoption such as shortfall of electricity, high EV prices, low average income and absence of commercial and residential charging infrastructure. This thesis proposes a design of a micro solar electric vehicle, which would address the existing challenges and provide an economical yet feasible solution. The design and system sizing of the micro solar EV was done in HOMER Pro. Based on the techno-economic feasibility analysis completed in HOMER, a dynamic model of the micro solar EV was created in Simulink. This comprehensive model includes PV generation, maximum power point tracking, battery charging and discharging, DC-motor operation and speed control of the electric vehicle, while taking into consideration environmental factors like irradiance and temperature. Moreover, a detailed ready to build, instrumentation and control design of the car was developed in Tinkercad. The Tinkercad model was divided into two parts with the first part covering the control and monitoring circuit for the vehicle, and the second part covering the auxiliary circuit for the vehicle. Lastly, conclusions are provided based on the research conducted in each section of this thesis, and areas for future research have been identified.

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