Design and performance analysis of a hybrid solar tricycle for a sustainable local commute

Fossil-fueled transportation is the main type of transportation used all over the world. Transportation in the United States consumes almost one third of global transportation energy and is one of the major contributors to CO2 emissions. To deal with ever increasing environmental pollution and reduce energy consumption, a solar Trike design is presented. in this paper to offer an alternative means of transportation. The solar Trike offers a higher occupancy rate, speed and travel range that can satisfy the needs of the local commute. The design, economics, sustainability and performance analysis of the solar Trike is presented in this paper. The dimension and power requirement of the solar-powered tricycle was determined based on aerodynamic force, rolling resistance, expected payload, travel velocity and distance and solar irradiance. A CAD model was built and analyzed for sustainability before building the prototype. Test run results of the prototype suggested the technical feasibility and practical applicability of the design. An LCA was performed to evaluate environmental impacts during various stages of the product life: manufacturing to disposal using Solid Works Sustainability software. Manufacturing, operating and environmental costs are analyzed for economic viability of the design. The annual costs of CO2 emissions, design and installation, annual maintenance, and costs to store the power for one full charge amount to $417. With a travel range of 37.1 km on a full charge, the proposed solar-powered tricycle is able to meet more than 90% of all trip distances in the USA. The proposed solar powered tricycle reduces energy consumption by more than 41%, as well as decreases CO2 emissions by more than 75%, in comparison with the railroad, the best mode of existing transportation. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.