Abstract
The electrical system connects the electric power sources to the high- and low-voltage loads. It is shaped by the current and voltage demands of the various loads, the requirements for grounding, switching, and electrical overload protection imposed by good practice and race rules, the need for low weight, low power loss, reliability, rapid maintenance and repair, and low cost.
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Notes
- 1.
See Chap. 16, page 320, sub-section Supplemental Batteries.
- 2.
However, the state where the car is built and tested may require headlights.
- 3.
The voltage at any instant will depend on the current draw at that instant and the I-V characteristics of the two power sources and the connected loads; this is developed in more detail in Chap. 5.
- 4.
Read et al. (1990) reports a boost regulator design in which an overvoltage can occur when the array is in full sun and the main bus voltage is low because the batteries are nearly drained and the motor current is large.
- 5.
For example, when power to an inductance (i.e., a motor) is turned off, the current decreases quickly, inducing a large voltage in the windings, which appears across the switch contacts creating a momentary arc.
- 6.
A simplified version of the electrical system of Kalakwaneha, Clarkson University’s first solar racer, as presented in Read et al. (1990).
References
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Dewan, S. B., & Straughen, A. (1975). Power semiconductor circuits. New York: Wiley.
MacCready, P., et al. (1990). Sunraycer case history. Warrendale: Society of Automotive Engineers.
McCarney, S., Olson, K., & Weiss, J. (1987). Photovoltaics: A manual for design and installation of stand-alone photovoltaic systems. Carbondale: Appropriate Technology Associates.
Read, R. K., Raponi, D., Kemp, B., Thacher, E., Rutkaukas, P., & Sherwin, T. (1990). The electric and electronic systems of clarkson’s solar car. Proceedings future transportation technology conference and exposition, San Diego, California, August 13–16, 1990. Paper 901511, Society of Automotive Engineers, Warrendale, Pennsylvania.
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Thacher, E. (2015). Electric Power Conversion and Distribution. In: A Solar Car Primer. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-17494-5_6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-17494-5_6
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