Calculating the Aerodynamic Drag Coefficient of a Toyota Avanza Car CAD Model using CFD Analysis

Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) is paramount for the design development and optimization of vehicles; it is an integral element in vehicle performance analysis. This paper studies the aerodynamic properties of a Toyota Avanza car using CFD analysis to calculate the aerodynamic drag coefficient of the car, this will be used in the design of the conversion of the Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) Toyota vehicle to an electrically powered one (EV). The study entails the vehicle's model that was designed using Autodesk Fusion 360 and was simulated for CFD using Autodesk CFD Ultimate. The results were used to calculate the aerodynamic drag coefficient of the car and were found to be slightly above the stipulated range in the car's specification books. It was established that more accurate results could be achieved if the CAD model was more refined. Future work is focused on access to open-road simulation tools to aid the conversion process of the car to an EV, this will help in the design phase where the motor sizing could use a more accurate drag coefficient for its calculation.