Urban Electric Vehicle for Efficient Green Transportation

1. Urban Electric Vehicle for Efficient Green Transportation Stephen Aranda, Derek Benallie, Aniza Brown, Justin Cummings, Brendan George, Michael Young College of Engineering, Forestry, and Natural Sciences; Department of Electrical Engineering Competition Results • Abstract Advancements in technology have caused electric vehicles to be viable alternative methods of transportation. Society’s attempt to shift its energy dependence to greener alternatives is due to the fact that fossil fuels are depleting, causing gas prices to increase daily. The Eco Car team competed in the Shell Eco-Marathon. The concept of the competition is to assist in the innovation of alternatively powered vehicles. To accomplish this, the team’s major foci consist of redesigning the electrical system and redesigning a lighter fairing. Technological innovation in electric vehicle design will change the future dependency from fossil fuels to economically efficient and environmentally friendly vehicles. • Successively completed technical inspection including: • Detailed Schematics (PSpice) • Battery Temperature Protection • Over Charge Protection • Over Discharge Protection • Short Circuit Protection • Successfully competed on track and achieved 13 miles per kilowatt hour. • Overcame numerous mechanical design obstacles with little prior mechanical knowledge. Electrical Systems Project Results Problem Overview Our system consists of two major parts, the drive train and the accessory system. The drive train is a 48V Lithium Iron Phosphate battery pack, which consists of sixteen 3.2 volts cells. This then powers the 4QD DC chopper controller, which controls the two permanent magnet DC motors on the rear of the vehicle. There are also two kill switches wired in series on the controller-battery line for short circuit protection and emergency stop. The accessory system is composed of a Data Acquisition Unit (DAQ), Touchscreen, 12 volt lead acid battery and relays. Each accessory: lights, blinkers, windshield, and horn are connected to an array of 5 volt relays, which in turn open and close by the DAQ output signals. This device is then operated through a graphical user interface on the touch screen. Each of these signals, contain a fuse for short circuit safety. • Listed below are our project results that were giving to us to accomplish in this semester. Each of the giving objectives was completed and is listed as: • Lighten the fairing • Get the car running • Compete at Shell Eco-Marathon The EE Team is responsible for all electrical features for the vehicle. The major electrical implementations were a complete redesign of the drive train system and accessory system. The drivetrain system consisted of two DC motors running off of a single controller powered by a 48V battery system. A 12V battery powers the accessory system which consists of: two headlights, two front turn signals, two rear brake lights, two rear running lights, two rear turn signals, windshield wipers, and a horn. The entire system was designed and implemented with safety in mind. Cost Analysis • Fairing Cost Estimation = $2,391.37 • Chassis Cost Estimation = $1,000.00 • Electrical Cost Estimation = $3,518.54 • Miscellaneous Costs Estimation = $1,727.47 • Total Cost = $8,637.38 Acknowledgements • The team also would like to give special thanks for the generous financial help received from our sponsors: • Jim Corining of Novakinetics • Auto Paint Plus • Shell • J.G. Management Systems • O’Reilly • Dr. John Tester • Dr. NiranjanVenkatramam • Dr. Allison Kipple • Professor John Sharber • Chuck Hebestreit Fairing Redesign The original fairing comprised of the core fairing, two side car doors and a backdoor. The team used the fairing from last year to create a positive mold. We covered the individual portions of the fairing with a mold release wax and a gel-coat, which was applied to the surface of the mold for a smoother finish. From the positive we created a negative mold. With this negative, we used fewer layers of fiberglass and a minimal amount of resin, which dropped approximately 70lbs overall. We also added reinforcements to insure durability and stability throughout the fairing. After the fiberglass completely cured, the team cut and sanded the fairing so it could be painted.