Feasibility Study of Charging Electric Bicycle by Solar Cell
Date Issued
2011
Date
2011
Author(s)
Chen, Kuan-Ming
Abstract
The feasibility of charging electric bicycle with solar cell directly has been investigated in the present study. A solar charging station was constructed with domestic made PV modules having output of 340 watts. In order to prevent the batteries from being overcharged, a regulator was used to limit the maximum charging voltage. The tested electric bicycle weights 39.5kg and was equipped with a 36V, 15Ah VRLA battery. The state of charge (SOC) of the battery was estimated by measuring its open circuit voltage. When the average solar irradiation is more than 310W/m2, the completely discharged battery of the electric bicycle can be recharged to over 85% SOC in 7 hours. With that condition, the bicycle could run over 62km at an average speed around 17km/h. In order to determine whether the solar PV charging station could supply enough energy for long time period of testing, the electric bicycle has been ridden and then charged for five testing days. The SOC of the battery could reach 90% after recharged at the fifth day although the weather was cloudy or rainy in the late afternoon at last three days. From the test, the solar charging station should be able to supply enough energy for most riding condition when the average solar irradiation is higher than 200W/m2.
Subjects
solar cell
electric bicycle
lead acid battery
solar irradiation
state of charge
Type
thesis
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