|
|
Three In One Solar Fuel Cell Electric Hybrid Vehicle August 2004Tiruchirapalli, Aug 22 A proto-type of a three-in-one solar-fuel cell-electric vehicle (SFEV) has been designed and developed by a final year mechanical engineering student of a local college.The miniature model of Hybrid SFEV comprised three components -- a solar panel with a 12-volt capacity mounted on top of the car, a pair of fuel cells and a plug pin for electric power, N Senthil Kannan, a student of Oxford Engineering College, who developed the vehicle, told UNI here. Mr Kannan said hybrid cars used either solar power, fuel cell power, electric power or a combination of these as a substitute for fuel, to propel the vehicle . The solar panel in the SFEV converted solar energy into electrical energy. The DC current from the solar panels was supplied to the motor and to the transmission systems, he said. When sunlight was not enough to produce current in the solar panels, especially during night time, in-built fuel cells came in handy. These cells produced chemical energy through an electro-chemical reaction between hydrogen and oxygen, and the chemical energy was converted into electrical energy. When power could not be produced from the fuel cells due to lack of hydrogen, electric power even from a domestic circuit could be used to charge a battery through the plug pin to power the vehicle, he added. Mr Senthil Kannan claimed the vehicle was free from the hazards of pollution, smoke and noise, and it also minimised maintenance costs. The system would be subjected to endurance test for assessing the life of both the solar and fuel cells. He said the absence of an internal combustion engine would reduce the cost of the vehicle. The cost would further reduce during mass production. Steps were on to obtain a patent for the vehicle, K Prabakaran, lecturer in the college who coordinated with Mr Kannan in designing the vehicle, said. | ||
|
Hybrid Car Links
|