Experimental Analysis of Solar Assisted Refrigerating Electric Vehicle

Abstract

Most refrigerating systems are driven by an internal combustion engine that increased the conventional vehicle’s oil consumption and tailpipe emissions. The solar-assisted refrigerating electric vehicle (SAREV) system powered by a hybrid energy mode has been designed. The hybrid energy (solar + grid) was stored in the battery bank to complete this vehicle’s necessary functions. The PV panels are prominently incorporated into this vehicle rooftop to charge the battery bank. In this study, the integrated system was driven by a hybrid energy mode that reducing the wastage and deterioration during temporary storage and transportation in different areas. The performance of the integrated system was tested under different operating conditions. The effect of load variation on maximum speed and travelling distance of vehicle was analyzed. The battery bank charging and discharge performance were studied with and without solar energy. The refrigerator was consuming 116 Wh energy per day to maintain a -12 oC lower temperature on the no-load condition at the higher thermostat position. The refrigerator was run continuously for 4-6 days on battery bank energy and 7-10 days on the full load condition of hybrid energy. The vehicle was travelling at a maximum of 23 km/h speed on full load condition. The vehicle needed torque 14-16 N-m at the initial phase for each load condition. Torque demand was decreasing with the increasing speed of the vehicle. The full-charged battery bank’s initial voltage was 51.04 V, and the cut-off voltage was 46.51 V. The vehicle was covering a distance of 62.4 km with the battery bank alone at full load condition. It was travelling 68.3 km distance with hybrid energy mode. The vehicle’s integrated system was the best in maintaining battery performance, power contribution capability, and drive range enhancement.