Energy Autonomous Solar⁄battery Auto Rickshaw

Auto rickshaws are small, three-wheeled vehicles which are used extensively in many Asian countries for transport of people and goods. The vehicles are small and narrow allowing for easy maneuverability in congested Asian metropolises. In India, auto rickshaws are commonly used as taxis, as they are very inexpensive to operate. Despite the apparent advantages in the vehicle design, auto rickshaws present a huge pollution problem in major Indian cities. This is due to the use of an inefficient engine, typically a 2 or 4 stroke, with almost no pollution control. This paper presents a transportation system based on auto rickshaws that operate in an environmentally friendly way. Existing vehicles are to be replaced by an all-electric counterpart redesigned in a manner which improves the efficiency of the vehicle. In addition, a recharging infrastructure is proposed which will allow for the batteries to be charged using mostly renewable energy sources such as solar power. Thus far, we have looked at the existing vehicle and the environment in which it operates, made a model of the vehicle in ADVISOR software, produced a prototype electric vehicle, and investigated recharging infrastructure requirements and designs. In particular, our proposed recharging infrastructure consists of a central recharging station which supplies distribution points with charged batteries. Since we aim to incorporate renewable energies in the infrastructure, we used HOMER software to design a feasible infrastructure system.