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Design and Fabrication of Solar Powered Tricycle Prototype for Green
Transportation Application
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Penyelidikan dan Inovasi Hijau, Malaysian Polytechnic & Community College Sustainable Award 2021
(MPCCSustAward21)
Design and Fabrication of Solar Powered Tricycle Prototype for Green
Transportation Application
M.S. Manda & M. Safian
Department of Mechanical Engineering, POLISAS, Kuantan, Pahang
soffi@polisas.edu.my
ABSTRACT
Transportation is the largest source of environmental pollution as results of carbon emission. which
promotes greenhouse effect that can accelerate global warming. This paper present design and
fabrication of solar powered tricycle; transportation device with three wheels to benefit solar as a
renewable energy resources. To integrate solar PV system in the tricycle, the major component required
are electrical load, battery, solar PV panel and solar charge controller. The design process starts with
the generation of design concepts which resulting in the final design concept and a technical drawing
of the prototype. Then, fabrication process is initiate which involves the tricycle frame and body prior
to installation of mechanical components. After painting, the solar PV system are integrated into the
tricycle, resulting in finish product of solar power tricycle prototype. The prototype is successfully
functional with solar power; thus, it can be concluded that the design of solar power tricycle can be
used to promote green and sustainable transportation.
Keywords: Solar, Tricycle, Green, Emission, Global Warming, Sustainability, Design, Fabrication
1. INTRODUCTION
Solar energy is the most abundant and freely available source of energy on Earth, especially
Malaysia as its’ geographically located on the equator line which received the most sunlight
exposure. According to Solangi et al. (2013), Malaysia’s tropical climate makes it suitable to
apply solar energy as it receives an annual average solar irradiance of 1643 kWh/m2. Solar
energy may be harvested either in the form of its thermal energy or electrical energy. To
produce electricity from solar energy, the simplest method is by using photovoltaic cells (PV)
which consist of N type and P type semiconductor material. Under sunlight exposure, photons
in the sunlight will increase the electronegativity of N type semiconductor material and by
short circuiting both semiconductor materials, electrons will flow from N type to P type
semiconductor thus producing electrical current. Even though solar PV efficiency is still below
30% (Saleem et al., 2019), the application of solar energy using solar PV is still ahead of other
sources of energy in terms of energy cost, cleanest, inhazardous and as one of renewable energy
resources. Cost of solar energy resources is freely available almost anywhere in Malaysia. Solar
energy also does not produce any waste to make it as clean enough as energy resources. In
addition to that, solar energy also is not hazardous as nuclear energy which could cause
radioactive contamination, or as hydro energy which could endanger natural life, or even as
combustion-based energy generation which could produce carbon emission. Currently, in
Malaysia our energy resources are mainly acquired through gas turbine power plants. However,
natural gas is a nonrenewable type of energy resource, and it cannot last forever. Therefore,
being solely dependent on natural gas or any type of petroleum product as energy resources
must be avoided by preparing to power the nation with renewable energy such as solar energy.
Thus, by focusing on the application of solar PV cells to convert solar energy into electricity,
a project to design and fabricate a tricycle powered by solar PV system is introduced.
According to the European Environment Agency (EEA) on air quality report in 2017,
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Penyelidikan dan Inovasi Hijau, Malaysian Polytechnic & Community College Sustainable Award 2021
(MPCCSustAward21)
transportation is the largest source of environmental pollution in urban areas. This is the result
of carbon emission from transportation in the form of carbon monoxide (CO) and carbon
dioxide (CO2). This project is also intended to promote green and sustainability practice
through the application of solar energy especially in transportation in Malaysia.
The main issues in solar energy application are not performance and efficiency but the
abundance of its resources with the addition of its status as the cleanest and nonhazardous
energy resources compared to others. However, in Malaysia, the most popular commute
transportation is motorcycle, especially in urban areas. This situation has also contributed to
carbon emission even though Malaysia is rich with solar energy resources. According to
Huisingh et al. (2015), the main factor causing climate change and global warming is the
increase of global carbon emissions produced by human activities. Therefore, for the sake of
contributing towards green and sustainability, a design project is proposed to introduce solar
powered tricycle as one of the commute transportations to reduce carbon emission.
The first objective of this project is to design a prototype tricycle that is powered by a solar PV
system to benefit solar as renewable energy resources. Then, the second objective of this
project is to fabricate the tricycle complete with an off-grid solar PV charging system. Finally,
the third objective is to test the tricycle prototype in the aspect of its solar charging system and
the prototype functionality.
2. LITERATURE REVIEW
Application of solar energy using solar PV cells can produce electricity. Solar energy is a
renewable resource which follows sustainable future as suggested by United Nation (UN)
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) introduced in 2016 which aimed to prepare for UN
2030 Agenda calls to end poverty, protect the planet, bring peace and prosperity to all. In
conjunction with UN SDGs, Malaysia also launched SDGs in 2018 through the Economic
Planning Unit, Prime Minister Office. According to Malaysia SDGs, goal 7 consists of 3
outcome targets and 2 means of implementation targets, seeks to promote broader energy
access and increased use of renewable energy, including through enhanced international
cooperation and expanded infrastructure and technology for clean energy. Therefore,
affordable, and clean energy is a global demand where every nation is channeling their policy
based on these goals.
Air quality report in 2017 by EEA has revealed that transportation is the large source of
environmental pollution in urban areas. Besides that, according to Azhari et al. (2016), vehicle
emission has been a major source of air pollution in Malaysia for the past 30 years. Carbon
emission promotes greenhouse effect that can accelerated global warming. However, in
transportation, solar application is hardly commercialized as energy resources instead of
combustion energy. According to Florez and Ghazali (2020), the barrier for applying solar
technology in Malaysia is lack of awareness. In conjunction with that, 10 years back, Islam et
al. (2010) has reported that green campaign is one of the hot topics among the Malaysian on
that year. The main objective of green campaign is to create awareness among the public to
protect our environment. Todays, even the awareness on solar as green energy are still not
widely applied but the research and development on solar application especially in
transportation has already started. To start applying solar in transportation, it must begin with
innovation in small transportation device such as bicycle or tricycle, and then the design
evolution would gradually growth until solar can be applied in larger transportation such as
cars, vans, buses, or even aircrafts. This is the nature of a design process. Todays, there was
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even no commercially available solar powered bicycle or tricycle, so how can we expect to
produce commercial solar car. Therefore, in promoting green transportation, there are available
research and innovation that has been report in bicycle and tricycle power by solar.
Bicycle is a transportation device with two wheels while a tricycle is a transportation device
with three wheels. In Malaysia, the innovation involving solar powered bicycles or tricycles
are still limited even though the nation received among the highest solar energy exposure
compared to other countries. Previously, there have been several papers reporting on the design
of solar power bicycles and tricycles. Table 1 summarizes some of the previous works.
Table 1: Summary of previous study in solar powered bicycle and Tricycle
Study
Types
Asrori et al.
(2020)
Apostolou et
al. (2018)
Bicycle
Adhisuwignjo
et al. (2017)
Mishra et al.
(2016)
Masud et al.
(2017)
Tricycle
Kandasamy et
al. (2013)
Methods
Findings
Compare PWM and MPPT of the
Charging Controller from the
flexible solar panels to work
optimally as a battery charging
system on electric bicycles.
Bicycles equipped with electric
motors that can be powered by
pedal or by solar PV charging on
electric motor supply.
Electric bicycle battery charging
system with solar energy sources
using fuzzy logic algorithms.
The results showed that the PWM
Solar charger can produce the
average power output of 29.92
Watt, while the MPPT type is
38.89 Watts.
Solar-powered e-bikes are
concluded to have potential as a
sustainable way of transportation in
urban areas and cities.
Fuzzy logic controllers can keep
the battery charging current in
solar-powered electric bicycles to
remain stable.
Hybrid bicycles combine the use of
solar energy as well as the dynamo
that successfully runs through the
pedal to charge the battery to run
the bicycle.
It is found that the tricycle serves
24% back up for running, by the
solar panel. Also, the tricycle has
zero impact on the environment.
Solar hybrid bicycle consists of
the following components: hub
motor, solar panel, lead acid
battery, motor controller,
accelerator, bicycle & dynamo.
The main content of the tricycle is
Solar PV panel, Brushless PMDC
motor, controller, and battery.
Power transmission of the solar
tricycle is simple.
The main component of the
tricycle is Solar PV panel,
Brushless PMDC motor, Charge
controller and battery.
The tricycle is successfully
effective in providing mobility for
persons who have disabilities.
Solar PV system is one of the renewable energy systems which uses PV modules to convert
sunlight into electricity. According to Boxwell (2017), The off-grid solar power system is an
independent self-sufficient renewable energy power supply system. A typical off-grid solar PV
system is made up of five parts, including solar panels, electrical loads, solar charge controller,
off-grid inverter, and batteries. The solar panels are connected to the solar charge controller,
where it regulates the power to recharge the battery by preventing overcharged and by filtering
the voltage supply. If the electrical loads are AC appliances, then an inverter is required to
invert the DC output signal from either battery or solar charge controller. The off-grid solar
power system design is different from the grid-tie solar power system.
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(MPCCSustAward21)
3. METHODOLOGY
In the design process, the main concern is mechanical work to produce a tricycle frame, body,
and power transmission. The project starts with the sketching of a design concept. In sketching
design concept activity, several concepts have been produced and design concept evaluation
has been performed to select the concepts that are considered simple, reliable, and lightweight
based on design concept evaluation criteria. Figure 1 shows the final design concept after
evaluation.
Figure 1: Design concept of solar powered tricycle prototype
After design concept of the solar tricycle has been finalized by locating a suitable dimension
and material specification, a technical drawing is made through CAD software. The technical
drawing will be the main reference upon mechanical fabrication process. Fabrication process
will begin by cutting, joining and assembly parts based on technical drawing.
Figure 2: 3D Drawing of solar powered tricycle
To facilitate material selection and acquisition, the required mechanical and electrical parts are
listed in Table 2. First, the mechanical parts will be cut, jointed and assembled. Each mounting
and brackets are precisely measured to fit with mechanical and electrical components upon
assembly. Before wiring, the tricycle frame is properly painted for styling and corrosion
control.
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Penyelidikan dan Inovasi Hijau, Malaysian Polytechnic & Community College Sustainable Award 2021
(MPCCSustAward21)
Table 2: The required mechanical and electrical parts
Mechanical Part
Hollow MS pipe 1'
Hollow MS Square 3/4'
2mm MS Flat Bar 1'
Hollow MS Rec. 1x 1/2'
MS Angle Section 1'
MS Angle Section 1/2'
Pillow block 8mm Bearing
25H Sprocket 68T and 8T
25H Chain 128 link
16' Aluminum Wheel
Electrical Part
DC Motor 24V 300W
SLA Battery 24V 14.4 Ah
PWM Solar charge controller 24V 40A
PWM DC Motor controller 20A
ON/OFF switch NO
1.5mm power Cable
300W Monocrystalline Solar PV Panel
4. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
The results of the design and fabrication process are reported by graphically presenting the
fabrication process to form the tricycle frame and body as previously planned in the design
stage. Figure 3 and Figure 4 shows the fabrication process of the solar powered tricycle
prototype. Then, to include an off grid solar PV system, the wiring process is performed based
on Figure 5 and Figure 6. The calculation for solar PV system sizing is also present. The result
is shown in Figure 7. The prototype is also demonstrated to assess its capability in general.
Several parameters are measured using quantitative and qualitative measurement.
Demonstration modes are set as independent variables. The observation shows that an off grid
solar PV system is the best method to power up the tricycle prototype as it maintains the power
supply, capable of achieving the highest speed and the battery is hardly drained as it is
continuously charged by the solar system. Table 3 summarized the findings of the tricycle
prototype demonstration.
Demonstration Mode
Moving with solar
power without battery
Moving with battery
power without solar
Moving with off grid
solar PV power
Table 3: Final prototype demonstration data
Voltage Generation
Speed Condition
Battery Condition
16.3V-24.9V
Slow
N/A
21.3V-24V
Moderate
Drain Quickly
24.9V
High
Hardly Drain
4.1 Mechanical Fabrication Process
The mechanical fabrication process starts by cutting mild steels (MS) structure into parts as
depicted in the technical drawing. Figure 3. (a) show the process of MS cutting to form frame
parts on the rear section of the prototype. After all the MS parts are ready, every required thru
hole for brackets, mounting and bolt joints are prepared prior to joining as shown in Figure 3
(b). Then, in Figure 3. (c), the rear frame is arranged to support the rear wheel shaft on the
outer section. Figure 3. (d) and (e) shows the vertical frame that is extended on the rear wheel
frame to support the solar panel on the top of the tricycle prototype. The vertical frame is further
extended by joining another rectangular frame as roof and solar panel mounting frame through
a welding joint as shown in Figure 3. (f). After the rear part is ready, the front section is
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Penyelidikan dan Inovasi Hijau, Malaysian Polytechnic & Community College Sustainable Award 2021
(MPCCSustAward21)
prepared to allow power transmission to be installed using chain drive. Then, as shown in
Figure 3. (g), major arrangement is being made to install chain drive on the front section of the
prototype involves mounting of drive and driven sprockets. Here, a mounting is customized to
support the DC motor drive which is extended from the front tricycle fork so that it will move
based on front fork rotation. Finally, after installing a DC motor, alignment is performed on
the power transmission between drive sprocket and driven sprocket to ensure chain drive
failure during prototype demonstration. Figure 4. (a) – (d) shows the finishing process on
mechanical fabrication by installing a solar panel on top of the mounting frame, joint finishing
through permanent welding, painting of the prototype’s frame and tidying up all mechanical
component’s installation on the tricycle prototype frame and body.
Figure 3. (a) MS cutting for frame parts. (b) Drilling for brackets and mountings.
(c) Arrangement of rear wheel frame. (d) Vertical frame for solar mounting.
(e) Alignment of vertical frame. (f) Preparation for top solar panel mounting frame.
(g) Arrangement of chain drive on front wheel for power transmission.
(h) Alignment of power transmission system.
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Penyelidikan dan Inovasi Hijau, Malaysian Polytechnic & Community College Sustainable Award 2021
(MPCCSustAward21)
Figure 4. (a) Solar panel mounting (b) Weld joint on frame parts (c) Spray painting on frames
(d) Installing
4.2 Electrical Parts Installation Process
Before installation and wiring of electrical parts, design of solar PV systems is performed by
component sizing and calculation. Because this is a DC system, the major components are
electrical load, battery, solar PV panel and solar charge controller. Figure 5 shows a
schematic wiring diagram for the solar power system of the tricycle. Figure 6 shows the
wiring process.
i. Loads.
The project used a 300W 24V DC Motor to drive the front wheel of the tricycle.
One full day usage is not considered.
So, total load = 300Watt-hour
ii. Battery.
Consider 100% DOD. Usage of one hour until battery drains out is applicable.
Sizing battery based on load, so 24V SLA battery is to be used.
Battery Ah capacity, I=P/V=300/24=12.5Ah minimum
iii. Solar PV Panel.
Solar PV panel based on one hour of consumption.
So, paired with load, solar panel = 300Watt
iv.
Solar Charge Controller.
Consider a charge controller to regulate and stabilize voltage from the solar panel.
Solar charge controller voltage = system voltage = 24V
Current rating of solar charger, I =P/V = 300W/24V = 12.5A
Solar charger controller; 24V @ 12.5A minimum.
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Penyelidikan dan Inovasi Hijau, Malaysian Polytechnic & Community College Sustainable Award 2021
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Figure 5: Schematic wiring diagram for solar power system
Figure 6. (a) Solar Panel wiring (b) Battery connection (c) Controller installation
4.3 Final Outcome of Solar Powered Tricycle Prototype
Figure 7. Solar Powered Tricycle Prototype for Green Transportation
5. CONCLUSION
As the prototypes are successfully functional with solar power, it can be concluded that the
design of solar power tricycles can be used to promote green and sustainable transportation.
By this achievement, continuous study is suggested to upgrade the transportation device
powered by solar gradually starting by endurance and speed improvement.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
Authors would like to acknowledge colleagues for encouragement and the Department of
Mechanical Engineering, POLISAS for technical support and facilities provided.
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