Performance Evaluation of an Electric Drive System Applied to a Three-wheel Hybrid Prototype Vehicle for Urban Mobility

Abstract

Abstract In this work, an electric traction system was implemented in a three-wheeled prototype vehicle for urban mobility. An electric motor kit including its controller and a handle-type accelerator is implemented to form a hybrid system of electric and human traction, where the human traction serves as a support when the battery is discharged. In order to move the vehicle, it is necessary to take the power from the motor to the driving wheel of the vehicle, therefore, it was designed and implemented with a transmission by sprocket and chain. Once all the mechanical and electrical components of the electric traction system have been assembled, tests are performed to determine the performance of the engine and transmission. An acceleration test is performed to determine the maximum speed and the time taken to reach, in addition to autonomy tests at a cruising speed of 30 km/h. The results of the acceleration tests show that the vehicle can go from 0 to 45 km/h in 17.6 ± 0.55 s on a maximum slope of 7.5% and in 14.8 ± 1.1 s on a straight road. The vehicle achieves a maximum range of 8.21 km with an average speed of 30 km. From the analysis of the results, it is concluded that the vehicle can perform adequately in urban environments.

Keywords

• electric drive, battery, electric motor, electric vehicle, range, three-wheel prototype.