Eventos Anais de eventos
COBEM 2023
27th International Congress of Mechanical Engineering
Mathematical Model to Convert Small Combustion Engine Trucks for Electric Traction with Photovoltaic Panel on the Vehicle Roof
Submission Author:
Juan Carlos Azeredo Coutinho dos Santos , RJ
Co-Authors:
Juan Carlos Azeredo Coutinho dos Santos, Luiz Peres, Manoel Antônio da Fonseca Costa Filho
Presenter: Manoel Antônio da Fonseca Costa Filho
doi://10.26678/ABCM.COBEM2023.COB2023-1171
Abstract
According to the latest National Energy Balance - BEN 2022, prepared by EPE - Energy Research Company, the Transport sector is the one that consumes the largest amount of energy used in Brazil. Of this total, almost half comes from diesel oil, with 45.1% destined largely for trucks and buses, showing the high dependence of this sector on fossil fuels. The use of electric traction in Brazil is appropriate since the production of electricity in the country is predominantly renewable, such as hydraulic 53.4%, wind 10.6%, biomass 8.2% and solar 2.5%. In this way, it can be stated that the refueling of electric vehicle fleets using renewable energy sources allows a significant reduction of environmental impacts in the country. This approach was the basis for the preparation of this work, which describes a methodology for converting urban freight trucks, with an internal combustion engine, into electric traction. This is the so-called “retrofit” that maintains the original technical characteristics of the vehicle to be transformed. Regenerative braking and a photovoltaic panel on the vehicle roof are included, aiming at greater autonomy. This article aims to contribute to increasing energy efficiency and reducing the emission of greenhouse gases and various pollutants. In addition, electric vehicles have lower maintenance costs. Initially, the types of existing electric vehicles, their components and photovoltaic cells were researched. The technical evaluation viability for the proposed conversion utilizes a mathematical modeling considering an urban cargo vehicle "UCV" for having great versatility for transporting goods in cities. Therefore, theoretical calculations were prepared to establish a MATLAB software, which allows entering the original data of the internal combustion truck and obtaining the necessary values to select the most suitable electric motor to replace the original engine. Only AC motors were considered, aiming to use the regenerative braking feature. The model establishes the dimensioning of the battery bank and a customized selection of photovoltaic module. Performance of the two drive options is discussed considering typical routes options. This work assumes the adoption of the so-called “last mile delivery” to improve the logistical indicators of the business and it is a key step towards achieving high customer satisfaction. Therefore, the proposed "retrofit" enables the electrification of existing fleets, which provides a new job market and a viable technical option to accelerate the transition towards sustainable mobility in freight trucks.
Keywords
electric vehicle, traction conversion, energy efficiency, Environment, photovoltaic panel, retrofitting, electric truck, electric retrofit, electric traction
