Journal of Advanced Research in Dynamical and Control Systems Vol. 9.

Sp– 6/ 2017

DESIGN OF SOLAR BICYCLE

G.Srinivasa Rao1, K. Harinadha Reddy2, Raghu Thumu3 and Ch Amarendra 4

1
Assistant Professor, Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, K L University, Guntur, AP,
522502, India
2 4
Professor; Research Scholar, Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, K L University, Guntur,
AP, 522502, India. 3 Research Scholar at K L University and Associate Professor, Anurag engineering college
Kodad, AP,India.
1
g.srinivas@kluniversity.in

ABSTRACT
We all know that the fuel price and pollution due to general vehicles in metro cities
and urban areas is increasing day by day. To overcome these problems, alternatives methods
are being developed. The solar assisted bicycle developed is driven by BLDC motor fitted in
front axle and is operated by solar energy. The solar panels placed on the bicycle will charge
the battery which further drives the BLDC hub motor. When the bicycle is not in use, the
batteries get charged using the solar power; also, batteries can also be charged using a wall
charger. This model is being designed in order to overcome few problems associated with
previous models. Few problems from previous models are rectified in this prototype and
required tests are carried out.

Keywords: “Solar Panels, Bicycle, Hub Motor, Motor controller, Batteries”.

1. INTRODUCTION
Solar bicycle is designed to meet the present challenges of conventional bikes and
also to reduce the pollution caused by conventional bikes. The solar electric bicycle may not
cost substantially more energy to drive the solar electric bicycle, when not powered, than a
normal bicycle. When there is no sunlight or the batteries are empty the bicycle should still
be running. E-bikes need large and heavy batteries to allow riding long distances, because the
battery is charged only once at home. The solar bicycle approach is different. The PV panels
have enough power and give the bicycle an infinite range. The battery is small, and saves

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weight. Without sun however, the battery can be fast charged. The battery will be charged
while the bicycle is running.[3]

1.1 SOLAR PANELS

The title indicates that the bicycle is operated by solar energy. Solar cells convert the
energy from the sun directly into electricity based on photovoltaic effect. The photovoltaic
effect involves the creation of a voltage based on the electrons ejected by another light effect
called photoelectric effect. Solar cell works on two effects namely photoelectric and
photovoltaic. In photoelectric effect, electrons are liberated when light rays fall on a metal
surface and these electrons are transferred to the valence and conduction band causing
voltage between these electrodes because of the photovoltaic effect.[1]

Table 1: solar module rating

Parameter Value
Maximum Power (Watt) 100
Optimum Operating 18.9V
voltage
Open Circuit Voltage 22.5V
Voc
Optimum Operating 5.29A
Current (Imp)
Short Circuit Current Isc 5.75A

1.2 HUB MOTOR

A conventional BLDC hub motor is used to avoid brushes and also to reduce their
maintenance, saving cost and time. That is the reason why brushless motors are often more
efficient than normal DC motors. In BLDC motor the roles of the coils are opposite compared
to normal DC motor: the inner part having the coils is stationary and the magnet rotates
around this coil. The electronic circuit induces power in the inner copper coils in turn,
making the outer body spin around the copper coils. There are many small magnetic field
sensors attached between some of the coils. These sensors are known as Hall-effect sensors.
When the outer permanent magnet passes through the sensors, the sensors senses the position
of the north and south poles of the rotor and then activates the required coils for continuous
rotation. The main problem using this kind of motor is that it requires an additional electronic
circuit for the motor rotation[4].

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Figure 1: Hub Motor

Table 2: Specifications of Hub Motor

Parameter Corresponding
factor/value
Type of Motor Hub motor
Design of BLDC (Brushless
Motor DC)
Power Rating 500W
Rated Voltage 36
(V)
Weight(kg) 5
Efficiency (%) 80
Torque 12 N-m
Speed (rpm) 300

1.3 LI-ION BATTERY

Battery plays a crucial role in this project. Energy can be generated from different
kind of sources like Solar, wind, also from fossil fuels etc. and should be stored in some
additional devices for continuous usage. Such a device to store this kind of energy is a
battery. Battery is a series arrangement of cells that generate electricity by a process of
Electro-chemical reaction. Electrochemical reaction taking place in secondary batteries is
reversible. Hence these kinds of batteries can be charged and discharged for few cycles and
hence they are named as rechargeable batteries. Rechargeable Li-ion batteries have good
number of advantages in terms of highest specific energy, voltage and negligibly small self-
discharge. For a battery it is always desirable that the energy delivered by it during its
discharge period should be as high as possible. The output of a battery is always dependent
on the equivalent weight of active materials present in it.[6]

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Table 3: Specifications of Battery

Parameter Corresponding
factor/value
Type Li-ion
Number three Batteries
Voltage 12 V
Expected cycle life 2000 times
Max. Continuous 15A
Discharge current
Max charge voltage 14.6 V
connected in series
Amp-Hour Rating 20 Ah
Discharge cutoff voltage 10 V

1.4 ACCELERATOR/THROTTLE

The maximum speed of the bicycle designed is 25kmph. It is required to vary this
speed from 0-25kmph depending on the road conditions and also on the traffic. Hence an
accelerator is installed in the bicycle to vary the speed. Accelerator helps us to vary the speed
from zero to maximum depending on our necessity. The throttle is attached to the handle bar
on its right side and is further connected to a motor controller. The accelerator consists of
three wires a black, red, and green generally. The supply voltage is provided through the red
and black wires and the voltage provided to the accelerator is generally 4 volts. The voltage is
increased using the green wire when the throttle is activated.

Figure 2: Accelerator/throttle

1.5 MOTOR CONTROLLER

The motor controller is a very essential component required for the continuous
operation of a brushless DC motor. The motor controller consists of few sensors known as the

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Hall Effect sensors that senses the north and south poles of the magnet in the motor and gives
an instruction to excite the required coils. Also a motor controller consists of electronic
circuits consisting of MOSFETS, transistors and microprocessors that are needed for the over
and under voltage, over current protection of the motor[5].

Figure 3: Motor controller

Table 4: Specifications of Motor Controller

Parameter Values
System voltage (V) 36
Rated current (A) 27
Under voltage protection (V) 31.5
Ambient temperature (ºC) 0-50

1.6 BOOST CONVERTER

A voltage regulator is installed in a solar bicycle and is generally connected between

the solar panels and the battery. This is because the power output of the solar panel is not
always constant and hence such a system cannot be connecting to battery directly. Hence a
voltage regulator is used between these components so as to make the input of a battery as
constant. The voltage regulator generally used in these kind of applications are generally a
boost or a buck converter. The voltage regulator always feeds the battery with a constant
voltage as input. It is also used to protect the system from over and under voltages.

Voltage output from solar panel = 12V

Voltage required by the battery = 36V
/ 1 (1)
Required duty cycle D = 2/3

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2. METHODOLOGY

Figure 4: Working Model Block Diagram

Solar energy is captured from the sun using solar panels mounted on the rear end of the
bicycle. These panels are connected to a boost converter so as to boost the voltage to the
required level. The arrangement is further connected to a battery. The battery is charged using
this solar output as the entire power transfer is DC in this case. This battery is connected to a
DC motor. The battery can also be charged using a wall charger in case of absence of sun. A
brushless DC motor is preferred here because of no maintenance, high efficiency, and low
noise and also because of the absence of brushes we don’t find sparking in a BLDC motor. A
synchronized motor controller is used here for the working of the motor. Also a throttle is
used here to increase the speed of the cycle. This accelerator is also directly connected to the
motor controller which in turn controls the motor speed. The bicycle can also be run using
mechanical pedaling in the absence of sun or when the battery is drained out.[7]

4. FACTORS EFFECTING EFFICIENCY

In general a solar panel is connected to a battery by connecting the positive of the
panel to the positive terminal of the battery and similarly the negative. A battery can be
charged in such a simple manner. But here comes a problem during nights. During nights
because of the potential difference there is a chance of current flow from the battery to the
panel. This causes the battery to discharge to a particular level. To avoid such kind of
problem, a diode is connected between the panel and the battery such that this diode acts as a
one way passage from the panel to the battery. The power output from the solar panel
depends on the following Panel angle: The angle at which the sun hits the panels changes the
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amount of exposure. When the solar panels are mounted flat on the cycle and not faced to the
sun, the power generated will be always lower than the rated amount. Anyways the sunlight
is always diffused in the atmosphere which reduces this effect. Time of day: Time of the day
plays a kind of important role on the power generated as the sun rays hitting a specific area is
not the same the entire day. The rays are stronger and maximum power can be obtained
between 11 a.m. – 3 p.m. Solar cell reflection: The power generated will be reduced if the
solar cell reflects high amount of light rays. Hence a protective layer should be adopted on
the top of the panel with a very low reflective coefficient. Clouds: Clouds play a very major
role on the bicycle motion. Clear clouds makes the cycle efficient. It isn’t exaggeration that
the bicycle cannot be used well during cloudy days as the sun isn’t available at its best[8].

4.1 SHADOW EFFECT

While placing panels on the bicycle shadow effect should be considered because if shadow
falls on the panel the amount of output power reduces. To avoid this effect and to increase the
efficiency, panels are placed on roof top in this project.

4.2 SOLAR PANEL POSITION

By mounting Solar panels on roof top efficiency can be increased because shadow effect can
be reduced by this arrangement and also large solar surface area is possible. There are some
disadvantages with this type of arrangement like weight increases and also air drag may
increase. But, efficiency will not reduce [9].

4.3 AERODYNAMICS OF WIND

Wind directions play a key role in speed of bicycle. If the wind is horizontal to the panels
then there will be no issue, but if cross winds occur then more power will be drawn from the
batteries to overcome the air drag.

4.4 LOAD ON BICYCLE

Speed of the bicycle always depends on the load mounted on it. If load on bicycle is within
the limit then efficiency will be good. If load exceeds the particular limit of the bicycle then
motor draws more power from batteries due to which efficiency decreases.[2]

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5. RESULTS

Table 5: Designed Solar Bicycle Vs Moped vehicle

Figure 5: Boost converter MATLAB circuit

Figure 6: Boost Converter Constant Voltage Output

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6. CONCLUSION
A solar powered bicycle is practically designed and developed with an electrical
efficiency greater than 80%. and the maximum speed of this solar assisted bicycle is 30
km/h, can be travelled up to 35 to 40 km with full charge of battery. It can be used by any age
group people up to the weight of 120 Kg. By using this type of solar bicycles, pollution can
be reduced and mainly fossil fuels can be protected and also good weight of loads can be
pulled using this design. This solar bicycle is also cost effective when compared to
conventional bikes. The total cost of this solar bicycle is around Rs 20,000/ $300. The
payback period is around six years.

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