1. Durham University Solar-Powered Car
The Design of the
Durham University Solar-Powered Car
DUSC

2. Introduction Development of high-performance solar car
Good match for Durham School of Engineering
Vehicle Design and Development

3. Vehicle Design

4. Vehicle Design - Electrical
MPPT
Solar Cells
Battery Module
DC-DC Converter
Inverter Drive
Wheel
Motor
42 – 59 VDC
3–200V DC
AC var freq
multiple units
in parallel
SUN

5. Vehicle Design - Electrical
Solar Cells
Use energy from the sun to generate electricity
Maximum power from the sun ~1000 W/m2
Solar cell efficiency ~16%
Area of solar panels
= 1.8 m x 5 m
= 9 m2
Power
= 1000 W/m2 x 0.16 x 9m2
= 1440 Watts

6. Vehicle Design - Electrical
Maximum Power Point Trackers (MPPTs)
Power = Voltage x Current
Voltage and Current from cell both depend on sun!
Sometimes voltage from cell < battery voltage
MPPTs provide the optimum resistance to the solar cells for maximum power

7. Vehicle Design - Electrical
Motor
Direct-drive: no gearbox loss
High-torque / low-speed
Axial flux “pancake”
Integrated into rear wheel
1.8kW, effy ~ 95%
Can also act as brake
Has potential to be used for real vehicles

8. Vehicle Design - Electrical
Batteries
4 sealed gel lead acid batteries (125 kg total)
48V - 5kWh capacity
 energy collected during typical day in UK summer
Charge all day, drive for 2 hours at high speed
Technical Partner
C&D Technologies

9. Vehicle Design - Mechanical
Aerodynamic Design
Aerodynamic drag increases with velocity squared
Rolling resistance does not change with speed
Aero drag dominates power consumption at high speed
Computer simulations (CFD)
10% scale parametric models
Target CDA ~0.1m2

10. Vehicle Design - Mechanical
Chassis Design
Low mass (30kg)
low Factor of Safety
detailed analysis
Computer simulations (FEA)
Steel space frame
Composite body shell
On-road testing
verify design loads
validate simulation

11. The Way Forward (N)ASC July 2005, July 2007? WSC Sept 2005, Sept 2007
Jobs to do:
Recruit sponsors
Spent £45,000 to date
Need £17,000+ for spares etc, £20,000 for WSC
Website
Tune chassis / improve bodyshell
Power electronics for drive motor
Solar cell encapsulation etc
Telemetry?

12. Durham University Solar-Powered Car
The Design of the
Durham University Solar-Powered Car
DUSC