Design of solar car chassis

Abstract

A solar car chassis is designed and developed in this Final Year Project. A solar car is n electric vehicle which is powered by solar energy obtained from solar panels which is placed on the surface of the vehicle. Designing solar car chassis normally use lightweight and durable material in order to ensure that the chassis will have a good strength-to-weight ratio. The mechanical system of a solar car is designed to minimize the friction and weight while still manages to maintain its strength. The solar car chassis is proposed to be made of Aluminium Alloy 6160 where the weight will be 250.93kg. The maximum Von Mises Stress for this chassis is 5.13647 x 106 N/m2 and the maximum displacement is 0.000252809m. The mechanical system used is the standard model of brushless electric motor NGM-SC-M150-08, 3 Phase DC Axial Flux motor. This motor does not require any transmission gears or other necessary mechanical differentials and it is built into the hub of the wheel. It has high torque-to-weight ratio and also high motor efficiency. The light weight of this motor is also one of the factors why it is use in a solar car.