Development of an Electric Vehicle Charging Hub with Solar Energy System: An Alternative Energy Service Station for Rural Commuters

Abstract

The world is transitioning to the adoption of electric vehicle (EV) over internal combustion engine (ICE) in the past decade, most EV charging stations are powered from grid systems. The generation of power for the grid system relies mainly on coal and natural gas to produce electricity. Burning these fossil fuels release greenhouse gases which trap heat and warm the earth. The aforementioned Ev charge stations are predominant in urban centres(cities), which makes it a problem for commuters to recharge their vehicles while on transit via rural routes. This paper proposes the development of an electric vehicle charging hub for Electric Vehicles using renewable source(solar) for rural vehicles on transit. The system as designed provides storage for the continuous energization of EVs from the converted energy for rural dwellers and commuters utilization from the abundant sun. This reduces the emissions associated with traditional fossil fuel vehicles and promotes the use of clean and renewable energy sources for electric vehicle application. The system model was designed using proteus circuit design software and implemented using the Arduino Microcontroller, Dc-Dc buck converter, transformers, solar battery and solar panel. The result from the demonstrated prototype reveals that the PWM pulse has an AC voltage output of 228V with the charging variable voltage output within the 190-230V and a current output of less than an Amp. Further research effort would be geared towards upgrading the prototype to an industrial model.