The project commenced with three capstone design projects entailing the design and development of a BLDC motor drive module, a PV array maximum power point tracking MPPT module, and the Mechanical design of a Chassis, brakes, suspension and Wheels of the solar car. The organizational chart of the team is shown below.
The modules were further developed to be incorporated into a full car design. Also, a new module was added entailing the design of a driver interface module with wireless communication between the microcontrollers and the driver display microprocessor. The first complete car is named* AREG-SC0 and it incorporates these modules with a steel frame chassis, aluminum body, and is intended as the test bed for the aggregation of the modules. The organizational chart of the team is shown below.
* AREG stands for Alfaisal Renewable Energy Group and is intended to be pronounced Areej “أريج”, which means the scent of a flowery garden in Arabic.
SC0 stands for solar car design version 0 as it is the test bed for new module design iterations and is not intended as the race car.
With lessons learned from the design modules a new competitive car design is underway dubbed Areej 1.0 with an aluminum chassis, carbon fiber body, and an improved overall design.
Major car module design and development underway.
Major car module design and development underway.
Areej 1.0 design was completed and unveiled on April 1st, 2021. Testing and fine tuning the design will continue in preparation for the next available international competition, SASOL 2022 Solar Challenge in South Africa.
