Design and Implementation of a Solar Power Augmented Electric Car

As the cost of gasoline continues to rise, conventional internal combustion vehicles are becoming an economic burden. Electric vehicles can be a cheaper alternative to gasoline cars. While maintaining an affordable budget, the primary objective of this work is to design and build an efficient, cost effective power control system for an electric vehicle and to utilize solar cells to augment its capabilities. A rugged dune-buggy frame served as the foundation from which the work was built upon. Results were verified with a speedometer to determine the speed of the vehicle, and the distance traveled, a dynamometer to determine the no load statistics and limits of the vehicle in forward and reverse, and a multimeter to measure the performance of the solar cells and battery.