Date: 26.05.
2023
Study on Efficacy of Solar Cell in
Electric Vehicle
Under the Guidance of: Dr. Prithwiraj Das
Students: Debayan Dey, Madhurima Basuly, Abhirup Das, Subhradeb
Sardar, Md Masud Hossain, Swarnali Sahis.
Introduction :
A solar car is an electric vehicle that relies on solar energy to power its motor. The car is
equipped with photovoltaic (PV) cells, which convert sunlight into electrical energy. The
energy is stored in batteries, which are used to power the car's motor. Solar cars are
becoming increasingly popular as people look for ways to reduce their carbon footprint and
promote sustainability. These vehicles are emissions-free and rely on a renewable energy
source, making them an excellent option for environmentally conscious individuals.
Although solar cars are still relatively new and expensive, advancements in technology and
manufacturing are making them more accessible to the general public.
The solar electric car project involves the development of an electric car powered by solar
energy. The aim of the project is to reduce the carbon footprint of vehicles and to promote
the use of renewable energy sources. The car is equipped with a solar panel that converts
sunlight into electricity, which then powers the car's motor. This project is a great example
of combining innovation and sustainability to create environmentally friendly
transportation.
Advantages of Solar Car over Normal EV:
1. Solar cars produce zero emissions, making them eco-friendly and ideal for reducing pollution. By
using solar power, these vehicles can help individuals and communities reduce their carbon footprint,
thereby promoting sustainability.
2. The basic advantage of a solar car over a normal EV is that it requires less charging from an external
source. The car is powered by the sun, so it has an unlimited source of energy as long as the sun is
shining.
3. Solar cars are low maintenance as they have fewer moving parts than conventional vehicles. They
require less frequent servicing, which saves on maintenance costs.
4. Solar cars are energy efficient as they use virtually all the energy that is produced by the sun. Unlike
conventional vehicles that waste energy through friction and heat, the electric motor in a solar car is
highly efficient and uses energy directly from the batteries.
5. The use of photovoltaic cells on the solar car provides an opportunity for drivers to generate excess
power. This energy can be stored in batteries and used to power other devices or even sold back to
the grid.
6. Solar cars may be the future of automobiles. As technology continues to advance, we may see more
affordable and efficient solar-powered cars in the market soon. Moreover, the investment in solar
technology would lead to lower production costs and wider adoption of solar-powered vehicles
Brief History :
Year Event
1955 William G. Cobb invented the first model Solar panel car which was made up of 12 Selenium
photovoltaic cells and a tiny electric motor.
1976 Alan Freeman developed the first Solar powered car that could be driven by a person. The three wheeled
vehicle was powered by sunlight and pedals.
1980 Arye Braunstein developed the first civilian car partially by solar energy, the roof comprised of 432 cells
creating 400 watts and the car can be reached up to 40 mph with a maximum range of the car was 50
miles.
1982 Hans Tholstrup and Larry Perkins built a Solar powered race car , the pair become the first to perform
transcontinental journey using Solar car ,traversing the width of Australia.
2007 Invented by the University of New South Wales, Sunswift IV set a record of 55.2 mph over a 1600
foot distance.
Date Event
2018 The Guiness World Record for the lowest energy consumption by an electric car
is achieved , the record was set by Sunswift VI which was invented by the UNSW
Solar racing team.
2019 Lightyear One, a long-range solar electric car is announced by Atlas Technologies,
the car gets 450 miles of range from its built-in battery .
2022 After 13 years of hard work , Bilal Ahmed, a Kashmiri Mathematics teacher, has
successfully rolled out an electric solar-powered car , that runs on 6 lead acid
batteries supplemented by 5 additional Solar panels.
2023 Pune based Startup named Vayve Mobility announced that they are launching
India's first Solar powered electric car Eva in the market in 2024. Eva is designed
to accommodate two adults and a child ,contains 150 Watt Solar panels on the
sunroof that can give it 10-12 km of range.
• Developed the Simulink
Model of a Normal EV &
Previously a Solar EV in Matlab.
• Checked & Analyzed the
Worked Efficacy of the Simulink
Model of the Solar EV
over the normal EV.
Objective
• To develop a mini model of Solar EV
• To check the efficacy of the
Photovoltaic cell in that model in real
time.
• To run the previously made simulink
model with real data of various types
of EV.
• Analyse the output of those run on
simulink model.
• The model is basically a remote-controlled car with photovoltaic
cell.
• This is a two-wheel (rear) drive car, and the rear wheels are
powered by a 6V 5W DC motor.
• It has a Battery of 3.75V 1200mAh.
• Front wheels are steered by a 6V 1W DC motor using Rack & Pinion
Remote mechanism.
• Two numbers of 6V 1W photovoltaic cells are parallelly attached to
Controlled Car the battery for recharging in sunlight.
• A 5V-2A Type-C port is also there to recharge the battery.
Model • Front & Rear lights are also there.
• Rack and Pinion Method: A rack and pinion is a type of linear
actuator that comprises a circular gear (the pinion) engaging a
linear gear (the rack).
Model Performance
Model without PV Cell Model with PV Cell
• Battery Backup on Constant • Battery Backup on Constant Run:
Run: 1 hour. 1 hour 15 mins.
• Charging Time: 30 mins (on USB). • Charging Time: 30 mins (on USB) & 4
hours (on PV Cell).
As the speed of the model remains same, so the range of the model RC Car
increases by approximately 25%.
Previously we have done this project using
Matlab simulation. The simulink model
Analysis of Simulink diagram is given in the next slides.
Model with Real EV Now we are trying to evaluate the efficacy
by applying the data of some real-life models
Data like Tata Nexon EV and Mahindra E-Alfa mini.
The outputs of this experiment are also
mentioned below.
Total Simulink Model Circuit :
Battery Circuit With PV array
SPECIFICATION OF TATA NEXON EV
MOTOR TYPE PARMANENT MAGNET AC
MOTOR
ELECTRIC MOTOR POWER 75 kW
105 kW (143 PS) [Max]
ELECTRIC MOTOR TORQUE 250 Nm
VEHICLE WEIGHT 1400 KG
BATTERY PACK 40.5 kWh (Li-ion)
DRIVING RANGE 312km
LENGTH * WIDTH 3993 MM * 1811 MM
Observations of Simulink model with the Data of Tata Nexon EV:
Motor Rating Battery Panel Size Range Increase
75 kW 40.5 kWh 500 W Normal – 312 km
(105 kW max) (320 nominal V) Increase – 330 km
Range Increase –18 km
(6.7%)
**The Range have increased by 6.7%
Mahindra E-Alfa mini specifications
Max Power 1 kW
Vehicle Weight 750 KG
Max Torque 3.2Nm
Max Speed(km/h) 25
Range (km) 120
Battery Capacity 130Ah (48V)
Type of Motor Brushless DC motor 1000W
Overall length(mm) 2768
Overall width(mm) 995
Overall height(mm) 1794
Ground Clearance(mm) 195
Charging time 5-6hrs (16A plug)
Observations of Simulink model with the Data of Mahindra E-Alfa mini :
Motor Rating Battery Panel Size Range Increase
1 kW 130 Ah 300 W Normal – 120 km
(48 V) (1.7 kWh) Increase –152.7 km
Range Increase – 32.7
km
(27.243%)
**The Range have increased by 27.243%
Thus, we can say that Photo-Voltaic
panels have higher efficacy on EVs having
low powered motors. That's why the range of
three wheeled E-Rickshaw have increased
more than Nexon EV.
Conclusion Moreover, if the vehicle runs within local
area & stops frequently in a sunny area then
its efficacy will become very high as it will
require less amount of external charging & so
the charging cost will reduce.
Acknowledgement :
We would like to express our special thanks to our mentor Dr. Prithwiraj Das for his
time and efforts he provided throughout this semester. His useful advice and suggestions were
very much helpful to us during the project's progression. We also thank all the faculty members
for supporting us in the progress of the project work.
We also thank our batchmate Mr. Srijan Kr. Mondal(4th year, ME) for his whole-
hearted support & effort in this project.
Thank you Everyone.
• [Link]
content/themes/tata-nexon/images/Nexon-
[Link]
• [Link]
wheeler/passenger/mahindra-e-alfa-
Reference mini/specifications
• [Link]
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THANK
YOU
• Debayan Dey
• Madhurima Basuly
• Abhirup Das
• Subhradeb Sardar
• Md Masud Hossain
• Swarnali Sahis