Development and Analysis of Electrification of Tri-Wheeler Automobile

Tri-wheeler automobile mostly called as "autorickshaw" is commonly used in South Asia as the cheapest source of transportation. These types of vehicles usually use two-stroke or four-stroke internal combustion (IC) engine. The main flaw of this automobile is its colossal emission of severe gasses like CO2, which is the main element for air pollution. On the other hand, gasoline, used by the IC engine as an energy source, will be diminished ultimately. So, to avert this environmental change, we should abstain the use of gasoline. This paper presents electrification of tri-wheeler in which lead-acid batteries are used as an energy source. Brushed less direct current (BLDC) motor and complementary controller are used to transfer the electrical energy into mechanical energy. Calculation for component sizing shows 3kW BLDC motor is required for the traction of vehicle with desired load at desired speed and 125 Ah battery bank is required. Tests are conducted using 2-Stroke auto-rickshaw body and chassis. Road testing of vehicle was conducted and data was logged. Obtained results from the logged data shows that electric vehicle is feasible for transportation and results are acceptable. The main focus is on the calculation of propulsion power, component sizing, and resultant drive cycle analysis. Results show that the energy used by the battery is much cheaper than gasoline with zero carbon emission.