Cost-Effective Solar Powered Battery Charging System for Light Electric Vehicles (LEVs)

This paper proposes a cost-effective and an efficient solar photovoltaic (PV) battery charging system for light electric vehicles (LEV’s) like e-bikes, scooters, etc. The SEPIC converter is used in a developed system to maximize the PV array power as well as to regulate the output voltage at the level of battery terminal voltage and makes the system suitable for off-board battery charging. The properties of SEPIC like non-inverting supply, a wide range of conversion performance, non-zero input current, and grounded switch drive circuit, make the proposed system reliable and effective. The placement of diode at the output restricts any reverse flow of current from the battery to the solar panel. Further, the CCM operation of SEPIC offers less stress on its parameters. The new MPPT technique implemented in developed system needs only battery current as a control variable to maximize the PV array power under all working conditions. Simulated and experimental performances are studied to charge a 24V, 100Ah lead-acid battery. Both the results authenticate the effectiveness of developed MPPT algorithm and the overall charging system for LEV’s.