DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION OF AN INTERNET OF THINGS ENABLED SELF-RECHARGABLE ELECTRIC VEHICLE

Abstract

Transportation has always been an important aspect in our everyday life. It is no surprise that humanity continues to strive in making further advancement in that field. As much as the area of transportation has improved over the years there has always been the issue of powering vehicles. Hence, the electric cars started to gain popularity due to it being easier and cleaner to power by connecting them to the grid and even through renewable energy such as solar, wind and even hydro. Another important aspect in transportation is the security and communication between users and the vehicles. Hence, the use of the Internet of Things (IoT) paradigm is introduced which is a term that refers to the connection among various physical devices through the use of an internet. The introduction of IoT makes devices more intelligent; thereby making them easier to communicate, monitor and control. The IoT has been introduced in various technology and it is no surprise that it has also been introduced in vehicles as it is termed Internet of Vehicles (IoV). This Study brings about a solution of powering these vehicles by designing a prototype which incorporates a dynamo system attached to the front wheels which is then powered by the back wheels to produce a closed loop energy conversion system in the vehicle thereby making the source of energy cleaner and cheaper to use. It also improves the security and connectivity of the electric vehicles through the IoT paradigm by using a microprocessor incorporated with a WIFI Module and registered to the I.P address of the user’s device. The Electric Vehicle is tested for the amount of voltage consumed and produced and the connectivity range with varying distance and conditions .It was discovered that the rougher the surface it drives upon the more power generated, the faster the vehicle moves the more power generated, and there is an improvement in the security of the vehicle as it can only be accessed by a device whose I.P address has been registered to it and there is also a variation in connectivity as its connectivity ranges last for just 10 meters if there are walls between the vehicle and the user. While its connectivity range last for 46.5 meters when there is free space between the user and the vehicle.