Analyzing the Impact of On-Board Photovoltaics on Electric Vehicle Energy Consumption

This work evaluates the energy benefit of integrating photovoltaics (PVs) into electric vehicles (EVs). We present a practical approach for calculating EV energy consumption based on environmental conditions, where a 3D vehicle cabin model is combined with a human thermal comfort model and a component-level EV model. The PV energy yield is calculated using a heat transfer solver that allows the calculation of module temperatures and the irradiance incident on curved vehicle surfaces. The energy consumption of the EV and energy production of on-board PVs are quantified for two locations in the United States with different climates: Phoenix, Arizona and Detroit, Michigan.