Improving the Energy Management of a Solar Electric Vehicle

• Main Authors: GUNESER, M. T., ERDIL, E., CERNAT, M., OZTURK, T.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Stefan cel Mare University of Suceava 2015-11-01
• Series: Advances in Electrical and Computer Engineering
• Subjects: automated video surveillance; Fisher kernel representation; multiple-instance object retrieval
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.4316/AECE.2015.04007

A solar electric vehicle (SEV) is an electric vehicle (EV) with onboard photovoltaic cells charging a set of batteries for extended driving range. This study aimed to improve the energy management system of a SEV, called YILDIZ, using a fuzzy logic control system (FLC). A MATLAB based simulation model of three basic components of a solar car: solar cell modules, batteries and motor drive system was performed. An original FLC was developed. For proving its applicability, the performances of the SEV were tested by simulation, in accordance with the standard test drive cycle ECE-15. The characteristics obtained with the original Proportional Integral Fuzzy Logic Control (PI-FLC) were compared with those obtained with a classical Proportional Integral (PI) controller. Using the designed model, we calculated the range of YILDIZ with and without PV feeding which gave us an opportunity to study and compare both SEV and EV models on real race-track situation. Then the optimum speed, at any time, which enabled the vehicle to reach a chosen destination as quickly as possible, while fully using the available energy, was calculated. Proposed solutions tested on YILDIZ. Results of simulations were compared with YILDIZ run on the Formula-G race track in Izmit, Turkey.