INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF AUTOMOTIVE TECHNOLOGY, vol.16, no.6, pp.997-1005, 2015 (SCI-Expanded)
Due to the diminishing fossil fuel and strict emission standards, electric vehicles are becoming more popular day by day. In many foundations, light electric vehicle prototypes are being built; however, their cost is generally very high. This paper introduces novel approaches for the design and manufacturing of a light electric vehicle prototype with very low cost. General design philosophy of such a prototype is presented. A theorem for the synchronization problem of two independent electric motors is proposed. Gear ratio optimization for acceleration performance, gradability, and top-speed of such electric vehicles is mentioned. Novel simplified suspension-steering kinematic design procedures are proposed. Approaches for mechanical design of a very light electric vehicle prototype are presented. The important concerns in those design approaches are low cost manufacturing processes and lightness by considering passive safety. A realistic impact loading scenario is proposed to determine the maximum force acting through a wheel of a vehicle. After the road tests performed, test results are presented and discussed. Finally, range of the car under various conditions is given.