Aerodynamic Study of an Electric Vehicle Prototype

In this paper is presented the aerodynamic study of a prototype structure for an electric vehicle. In the first part of the paper is presented the actual research of body shape vehicles using the iterative CFD methods and the theoretical aspects of this method. In the second part of this study, using advanced modelling techniques the CAD model of the car body is realized. The three-dimensional model of the car body is modelled in SolidWorks software. In the third part of the work, the CAD model is prepared and imported in the CFD environment, where is simulated for four different car speeds: 14 m/s, 25 m/s, 34 m/s and 55 m/s. The shape of the car body is improved in order to achieve a lower drag coefficient. The improved car body shape is tested at the same conditions and parameters like as the first simulation. A comparative study is presented between the first and second car body shape simulations results. In the last part of the paper are presented the conclusion and the future research directions of this study.