Solar Powered Reverse Trike

by The Mak3rs in Workshop > Science

95103 Views, 200 Favorites, 0 Comments

Solar Powered Reverse Trike

solaron-7.jpg
DSC02663.JPG
DSC02680.JPG
complete.JPG
DSC02646.JPG
DSC02664.JPG
DSC02673.JPG
SOLAR POWERED REVERSE TRIKE

Designed and built in just 18 days at the University of Engineering and Technology Lahore in Pakistan,  7 x 3.5 x 4.5 ft (2.13 x 1.06 x 1.37 meter), 132 pound (60 kg) low-rider features a custom built, t-shaped aluminum framework at the front of the vehicle, and the back part of an old bicycle frame at the rear, joined just behind the seating area to shock absorbers. The reverse three-wheeler - with two wheels at the front and one at the rear - also has a 40 watt photovoltaic canopy above the rider that charges the onboard 12v/80Ah dry cell solar battery.

An eco-friendly vehicle that uses solar energy as its source of input. A solar panel is used to charge the battery and the battery drives the dc motor.
Its a vehicle that uses reverse trike configuration, i-e two front wheels and a single wheel on the rear side. Steering is done with the help of front wheels. It also consists of a solar panel, Battery and a dc motor.

COMPONENTS:

Chassis
Solar Panel
Motor
Battery
Steering Mechanism
Chain and sprocket mechanism
Charging circuit

CONFIGURATION:

Length: 7ft
Width: 3.5ft
Height: 4.5ft
Weight: aprox~ 60kg
Motor: 24Volts DC, 17Amp
Battery: 12Volts, 80AH
Materials: Aluminum, Steel and Cast Iron

Material Quantity Cost (Rupees)
Aluminum Sections
(2’’ x 1’’) 12ft length
2 ...................................................2500
Aluminum Plates 2 .......................500
Steering Parts (hinges) 2 ...........150
Solar Panel 1 .............................12000
DC Motor 1 .................................7500
Battery 1 .....................................8000
Tire set 3 ....................................2400
Brake set 1 ................................100
Iron Plates 7’’ x 4’’ 2 .................300
Iron Plate 3’’ x 3’’ 2 ......................150
U shaped Iron Sections 4 ..........500
Aluminum Sections for Solar Panel length 6.5ft 2 .............600
Sprockets 2 .....................500
Handle 1 ..................100
Seat 1 .......................550
Cycle Chain 1 ..........................400
Chassis Rear Section 1 .....................1000
Nuts bolts washers and miscellaneous - ............2120
Labor Cost - ....................................7300
TOTAL COST - 46670/- Rupees (APPROX ~550 USD)

Please vote for my Instructable (you can see the image for "VOTE NOW!" on the top left of this page)

3D Design of the Vehicle

complete1.JPG
complete.JPG
complete2.JPG
chassis front.bmp
battery.bmp
chassis rear.bmp
motor.bmp
panel.bmp
seat.bmp
steer.bmp
steer1.bmp
tire.bmp
First of all i made the 3D design of the vehicle in Solid Edge v20. Below are the picture of the vehicle.
This was a vital step in fabrication of the vehicle. So without considering any other thing i made the 3D Model of the Vehicle to give a proper look!....

Chassis Fabrication

Image0049.jpg
Image0044.jpg
Image0045.jpg
Image0047.jpg
Image0050.jpg
Image0053.jpg
front1.jpg
After the 3D design of the vehicle was completed i stated the fabrication of the Chassis. I used Aluminum rectangular Sections 2"x1", thickness 2mm for chassis main body. For welding the aluminum rods together i used the Argon welding!..... It took around 4hours to get welded with exact dimensions.

Bicycle Rear Section

Image0062.jpg
Image0063.jpg
rear.jpg

I used a rear section of the bicyle to hold the rear wheels.... which was later used to drive the vehicle!

Front and Rear Chassis Assembly

Image0110.jpg
Image0069.jpg
Image0124.jpg
Image0120.jpg
Image0107.jpg
Image0109.jpg
Image0108.jpg
Image0123.jpg
Image0076.jpg
Image0075.jpg
Next step was to assemble the fabricated front part of the chassis with the rear section taken from a used bicycle! U-shaped bar was used to hold the parts together!.... then comes the shock absorber which was attached to two angle iron bars....

Wheels Mounting

Image0106.jpg
Image0091.jpg
Image0085.jpg
Image0086.jpg
Image0100.jpg
Image0101.jpg
Image0104.jpg
Next step was to mount the wheels on the vehicle....

Steering Mechanism

Image0170.jpg
Image0194.jpg
Image0187.jpg
Image0188.jpg
Image0191.jpg
Image0179.jpg
Image0169.jpg
Image0171.jpg
Image0177.jpg
Image0178.jpg

Since this a reverse trike so front two tires were to be used for steering ...... so i used T-joint mechanism to steer the wheels!....

Motor and Battery Placing

Image0146.jpg
Image0140.jpg
Image0141.jpg
Image0193.jpg
Image0190.jpg
motor.jpg
Image0274.jpg
DSC02670.JPG
A small frame was made to support both the motor and the battery, using angle irons....

Solar Panel Mounting

Image0195.jpg
Image0199.jpg
Image0205.jpg
Image0210.jpg
Image0209.jpg
To mount the solar panel on the top of the vehicle a frame was to be designed as in 3D model.... so finally it was welded on the base of the chassis

Charge Controller Circuit Diagram

Image0213.jpg
Image0214.jpg
Image0216.jpg
Image0220.jpg
Image0222.jpg
Image0223.jpg
CD.jpg
Purpose of the charge controller circuit is to cutoff the supply from the solar panel when the battery is fully charged to avoid over charging... and to start charging when battery voltage drops off a certain value... in my case the max. allowed voltage is 13.7volts and min is 13volts.

Solaron! Ready in ~550USD "RESULTS"

DSC02681.JPG
DSC02636.JPG
DSC02645.JPG
DSC02649.JPG
DSC02676.JPG
And finally an other addition to Green Technology! and after series of experiments i conclude the following results

RESULTS

1. It can go upto 30kmph max. speed.
2. Covers a max distance of 70km in one full charge (without panel)
3. No air and sound pollution.
4. Renewable energy source, no external power required.
5. Automatically charges the battery.

Please vote for my Instructable (you can see the image for "VOTE NOW!" on the top left of this page) and also share with others.....hope you enjoyed reading it as much as i enjoyed making it...
Farrukh Khan
B.Sc Mechanical Engineer
University of Engineering and Technology Lahore Pakistan

If you are planning to built your own and you need any kind of information, contact me at: +92-322-4710671

Downloads