Shadow Casting Influence on Solar Panel Locations and Configurations for an Electric Scooter (Scuddy)

The electric vehicle was known to have caused range anxiety to some potential car buyers due to the battery limitations. One of the solutions was to install solar panels on a small vehicle that can charge the battery throughout the day. This project was to study the best position and configuration of the solar panel based on the sunlight reception on an electric scooter (Scuddy). Three locations were considered for this study: handle position, front-wheel position, and rear-wheel position. The other parameters considered in this study were the rider’s standing and sitting position, solar panel mount angle, the time during the day, and the direction heading of the electric scooter. The results showed that the solar panel at the handle gave the highest average sunlight exposure, 96% throughout the day and heading. The rider’s sitting and standing position also influenced the sunlight exposure amount, especially when the solar panel was located at the electric scooter’s rear wheel.