Design, Simulation and Analysis of Components for Electric Auto Conversion

In this paper we discuss the design, simulation and analysis of an electric conversion kit which would be able to convert an IC engine auto rickshaw to a pure electric vehicle. Retrofitting an old auto rickshaw not only eliminates the tailpipe emission from the vehicle but also helps to reduce the carbon footprint involved in manufacturing a new vehicle. For the purpose of understanding demands for an auto rickshaw to run in Indian city roads and towns we’ve conducted a survey among 33 auto rickshaw drivers from 3 different towns in Kerala which helped us to identify the most commonly used auto rickshaw model, and requirements for an auto taxi such as range for battery, power required for motor and other modifications that have to be carried out. And from the results we have designed a battery pack according to the requirements and a mounting plate which mounts the motor and the transmission to the frame of the vehicle and simulated a linear static load test on the mounting plate and a thermal analysis on the cell of the battery pack, an air cooling system for the battery pack was also designed to prevent thermal runaway of the cells during high loads. CAD designs and its simulations were done with the help of Fusion 360 and Altair Hyperworks.