A portable, auxiliary photovoltaic power system for electric vehicles based on a foldable scissors mechanism

Abstract

In recent years, countries worldwide have actively advocated electric vehicles for environmental protection. However, restrictions on the driving range and charging have hampered the promotion of electric vehicles. This study proposes a portable, auxiliary photovoltaic power system based on a foldable scissors mechanism for electric vehicles. The system includes a photovoltaic power generation module and an electricity transfer module. The photovoltaic power generation module built based on a foldable scissors mechanism is five times smaller than in its unfolded state, improving its portability in its folded state. The electricity transfer module transfers electricity into the cabin via wireless power transfer units and stores electricity in supercapacitors. Solar simulation experiments were conducted to evaluate the system's performance: maximum output power of 1.736 W is measured when the load is 5 Ω, while maximum wireless power transfer efficiency is up to 57.7% with 10 Ω load. An electric vehicle in Chengdu city was simulated for a case study. The results show that the annual output of a single photovoltaic power system can drive the MINIEV for 423.625 km, indicating that the proposed system would be able to supply power for electric vehicles as an auxiliary power supply system.

Keywords

• Auxiliary photovoltaic power system
• Energy harvesting
• Scissors mechanism
• Solar collector
• Electric vehicle