Design and build of a battery powered electric vehicle incorporating ´Free Light´ optical polymers

This paper describes a prototype design of a battery powered shuttle car which aims to utilise novel `Free Light´ polymer materials to give day running lights, together with an illuminated outline of the vehicle´s profile. The same system will be operated at night from solar energy stored in batteries during the daytime. The envisaged composite construction of the vehicle body shell will be designed to incorporate both the solar cells and the light absorbing polymer material. The potential market for the vehicle is the perceived emerging need for small town cars capable of transferring people and goods within `car free´ city centres. As such, environmental friendliness, light weight, and a minimum of drive components are the major factors, which will lead towards the final design concept. The drive train of the vehicle utilises two high efficiency NdBFe permanent magnet traction motors, connected to the rear wheels of the vehicle through a reduction gearing. A potential novel direct wheel drive arrangement, which will further reduce mechanical components and linkages, is described