Design and Development of Solar Powered Electric Cart for on Campus Application

Electric vehicles (EVs) are becoming increasingly popular due to their eco-friendliness and low operational costs. However, the use of fossil fuels to generate electricity to charge these EVs undermines their sustainability goals. Combining solar energy with EV charging can create a sustainable and clean transportation system, which can reduce our dependency on non-renewable energy sources. The overall objective of the project is to design an efficient solar powered electric cart that can be used on campus in transporting and carrying Stationery loads. This is accomplished through the design of subsystems such as the frame, drivetrain, power, suspension, Brakes and steering, and integrated into a master assembly model using soft wares namely SolidWorks, a computer aided design (CAD), and finite element method (FEM). The FEM analysis is carried out to study the stress and displacements of the cart in order to ensure the safety. The basic performance of cart is evaluated in terms of its range, acceleration and maximum achievable speed. The cart is designed for 250kg load carrying capacity, acceleration of 1.2 m/s2 and maximum achievable speed of 15km/h with a power rating of about 1.5kW. Secondary support software such as Excel, and solar analyzing software were used to assist in the planning of the various subsystems as well as data collection and assortment.