1. To design a solar rickshaw which would be manual
driven as well as motor driven using solar energy.
 Project Guide – Mrs. Richa Pandey
 Project Supervisor – Mr. Jeeoot Singh
Nitesh Prasad (BE/1183/08)
Vishal Balodia(BE/1149/08)
Prateek Jha (BE/1181/08)
Sunny Kumar(BE/1194/08)

2. Why Solar Rickshaw ?
1.To reduce the effort of rickshaw puller
2. To use abundantly available solar power
3. To reduce the use of fossil fuels
4. Ecofriendly in nature
5. High future prospects in Renewable energy field

3. Objective
To design a hybrid rickshaw, manual driven as well as motor driven
using Solar Energy to reduce the effort of rickshaw puller. The payload
would be 250 kg, two passengers with a driver.
This includes:
 Maximising the surface area of the hood.
 Minimising the weight of the rickshaw.
 Selection of motor and other circuitry elements.
 Circuit design (electrical and mechanical).
 Selection of solar cells.

4. Introduction
 The sun provides the earth with energy at a rate of more than 100 000 TW
(1 TW = 1012 W).
 India has high solar insolation, an ideal combination for using solar energy.
This energy can be used to drive a rickshaw.
 To reduce the effort of rickshaw puller decision has been taken to assist
rickshaw puller with the help of solar driven motors. This can be done in
two ways:
 Modification / improvement in prevailing rickshaw design.
 Modification / improvement in solar cells.
Since the field related to improvement in solar cells is confined for scientific
research we will purchase solar cells directly from the market and will switch
our focus on the mechanical part i.e. Designing the solar rickshaw.

5. Mathematical Modeling
 Force analysis of rickshaw up the inclined plane
F= µMg cos + Mg sin
Power, P=Force (F) × Velocity (V)

6. Assuming Velocity, V =15 kmph or 4 mps
------>
Mass 00 40 60 80 100
300 2352 3172 3572 3972 4364
350 2744 3700 4168 4632 5092
Power
Required
400 3136 4228 4764 5296 5820
450 3528 4756 5356 5956 6544
500 3920 5284 5956 6616 7272

7. Solar cells and its selection
 Solar cells are devices which convert solar energy directly into electricity by
photovoltaic effect. The current generation of crystalline and amorphous silicon
solar cells has efficiencies between 5% and 17%. Solar cells have been classified into
following types:
• Silicon wafer based solar cells
• Photo-electrochemical solar cells
• Dye sensitize solar cells

9. Battery and its selection
 A storage battery is a group of one or more electrochemical
cells which comes in different sizes, shapes and
specifications. Some of the commonly used include :
 Lead-Acid
 Nickel Cadmium (NiCd)
 Lithium ion (Li-ion)

10. Total daily energy expenditure by Electric
Rickshaws

11. Battery Specifications

12. Electric Motor and its selection
A electric motor converts electrical energy to mechanical energy.
Brushless DC motors are powered by direct current and have electronic
commutation system rather than mechanical commutators and brushes.
The current-to-torque and frequency-to-speed relationships of BLDC
motors are linear.
48 volt Heinzmann hub motor 1200 watt is selected

13. CAD Model for Solar Rickshaw

14. Specifications of Solar Rickshaw
Power Source Electrical and Pedal Controller Mounting On Centre of handle of
Rickshaw
Type of Drive Electric Motor Assisted Pedal
Driven Electronic Throttle Mounted on Right Side of Handle
Electric Motor 48 volt Heinzmann hub motor
1200 watt
Battery 48V,18 Ah, Deep Cycle,Li-ion
Electric Motor type Hub Motor
Battery
Motor Controller Driving and Controlling the RPM
Charge Controller From 220 VAC supply or
of BLDC Motor
Optional Solar Charging
Transmission Sprocket and Chain Drive with
override at rear axle Battery Weight 15 Kg approx.
Payload 250 kg considering 2 passengers Weight 160 kg ( including all items)
and 1 driver
Average Speed 15 kmph Body Made of CRC Sheet or FRP
Motor RPM 160 rpm
Weight 45 kg
Motor Mounting Front Wheel Hub
Overall Size 1300 mm x 1200 mm x 1500 mm
Weight of Motor 8 kg approx.
Hood Material Rexin
Motor Control Electronic Controller and
Throttle Hood Type Folding

15. Sample Calculations
 For total (rickshaw + Passengers + Driver) mass, m = 400 kg to run on a flat
road (ϴ=0o) running at a speed of 15 kmph/4 mps, the power required is
3136 W.
 For the same rickshaw running on an inclined road (ϴ=4o) at the same speed,
the power required is 4228 W.
 The extra effort to be compensated is 4228 – 3136 = 1092 W
 For the selected solar cell, power output per unit area = 168.1 W/m2
 Through our CAD model we have achieved roughly 2 m2 generating
 168.1 *2= 336.2 W

16. Future Aspects
 To increase the efficiency of solar cell.
 To reduce the weight of the frame and body.
 To use light weight high energy density battery.
 To use alternator or regenerative braking down the
slope to charge the battery.
 To use sensors and actuators for speed control and
battery indicator.

17. THANK YOU