Making eco-friendly things can be of great use. By doing this, you are also contributing a bit to avoid the possible harm to the environment. Solar products are in great demand and when it comes to making these things on your own that too at a meager price is even more fabulous. How about making a vehicle which operates on solar power, isn’t it excellent? No pollution, no fuel combustion, all you need is to invest some money to get the parts and spare and some time to combine these parts to make a solar vehicle ready to use.
If you live in a country where sunlight is not an issue, making a solar reverse trike will be of great help to you. The solar powered reverse trike, will need a solar panel to charge the battery, which will drive the motor, thereby making it an eco friendly vehicle. Making this vehicle will need not be difficult as you needs parts that are simple to find.
Difficulty level: The project is moderately challenging. It may require expertise in some areas.
Time required: 18 to 20 days.
2. Solar panel
3. 24Volts DC, 17Amp motor
4. 12Volts, 80AH battery
5. Steering mechanism
6. Chain and sprocket mechanism
7. Charging circuit
8. 4 U shaped iron sections
9. 1 Cycle chain
10. Materials: Aluminum, steel and cast iron
Estimate cost: Making a solar powered reverse trike will cost you around $550.
Step 1: 3D Design of the vehicle
Firstly you need to make a 3D layout or the design of the vehicle. This will help you know what the end product would look like. This is a very crucial step at the same will help you during the fabrication process. It is always suggested to draw out the idea of what your end product would look like. This will help you find out if you are going the right way and help you rectify the possible errors right away.
Step 2: Chassis fabrication
Once you have the 3D layout ready. You can start with the fabrication of the Chassis. Use Aluminum rectangular sections of 2 inch x1 inch, 2mm thick for the main body. Make use of Argon welding to weld the rods together. The wielding process may take around 4hours to complete as per the dimensions precisely.
Step 3: Bicycle rear section
A rear side of bicycle, which can be easily found from a scrap shop, will be attached to the vehicle. Now get the rear section of an old bicycle that will be useful to hold the rear wheels. Later on you can use this to drive the vehicle as well.
Step 4: Assembling the front and rear chassis
Next you assemble the rear section from a used bicycle with the the fabricated front part of the chassis. Make use of the U-shaped bar to hold these parts together. Once done with this, attach the two angle iron bars using a shock absorber. Later on mount the wheels.
Step 5: Steering mechanism
This being a reverse trike, the front two tires will be used for steering. So steer the wheels by employing the T-joint mechanism. Now you can place the motor and battery. Prior to this make a small frame that can support the motor as well as the battery making use of angle irons.
Step 6: Solar panel mounting
This trike will have the large solar panel as the roof. To mount this solar panel you need to get a frame ready. Again wield the rods to make a frame as in your 3D layout. Once done your solar panel is ready to be mounted. The solar panels are very fragile so you need to be extra careful while installing it.
Step 7: Charge controller circuit diagram
Draw a diagram of the charge controller circuit. And make the circuit accordingly. One you have installed the charge controller circuit, your trike is ready to use.
Frequently asked questions
Q. Can you explain the specification of the trike that is the end result?
A. The trike is 7 x 3.5 x 4.5 ft (2.13 x 1.06 x 1.37 meter), 132 pound (60 kg) low-rider.
Q. How is this beneficial?
A. This is a solar powered trike. Sun being a renewable source of energy source you won’t need any external power or fuel to run this vehicle. Hence there are zero chances of air and sound pollution.
Q. What would be the speed of this trike.
A. The reverse trike can go up to 30kmph speed, which is the maximum. It covers a distance of maximum 70km in one full charge.
The charge controller circuit’s purpose is to cut-off the supply from the solar panel as soon as the battery is charged fully. This is installed to avoid over charging. You can recharge the battery when the voltage drops off.
The vehicle uses reverse configuration, which means it will have two wheels in the front and a one wheel on the rear side. Steering of the vehicle is done with assistance of front wheels.
Things to watch out for
The solar panel placed on the top of the vehicle charges the battery, thereby transforming the vehicle into a thrilling ride.
The trike features a T-shaped aluminum framework, which is custom built at the front of the vehicle. The back part of a bicycle frame, which is placed at the rear is used to sit while riding. The reverse three-wheeler utilizes a photovoltaic roof of 40 watt that charges the dry cell solar battery of 12v/80Ah.
This is an addition to the Green Technology, which makes good use of sun’s energy. The lightweight trike’s eco friendly ride will ensure no emission of harmful gases. Crafted in a way that will make proper use of solar power in today’s traffic loaded age. All you will need is some materials which can be easily obtained and some creative effort and patience till you eco friendly bike gets ready to VROOM on the roads.