Renewable energy–assisted hybrid three-wheeler: A numerical investigation

Abstract

This research is to investigate the various parameters and conditions of implementing solar and wind energy in engine-driven three-wheelers. No reliable study of using both these energies in three-wheelers is found in the literature so far. In this article, a numerical study is conducted for using both these energies in a plugged-in hybrid three-wheeler. From the analysis, it is found that both the renewable energies will provide approximately 54% of total energy to run the vehicle altogether. A novel computational fluid dynamics simulation for a wind turbine is conducted to verify the theoretical results. Here the wind turbine blade has simple aerofoil look with sinusoidal leading edge and dimpled surface. The vehicle will not only reduce the pressure on fuel and national grid electricity; but, also will reduce the emission by a large amount. A custom drive cycle along with drive power demand is obtained using vehicle properties and city road conditions and comparing with Asian urban drive cycle. A detailed feasibility analysis of the vehicle is analyzed considering various costs, weight, and emissions, and a future researching infrastructure is also proposed. Finally, some recommendations are provided which can be considered for future research interests.