Over the past two decades, several options have emerged as alternatives to traditional internal combustion engine-powered transportation systems. The alternative power sources garnering the most commercial interest have been hydrogen fuel-cells, battery-powered electric, propane, biodiesel, ethanol, and compressed natural gas. “Transportation Integrating Green Energy Resources” (TIGER)™ is a prototype hybrid vehicle that optimizes consumer desire for performance, alternative fuels, and environmental emissions reduction. It is powered by a combination of an electric motor and a biodiesel internal combustion engine. It is a two-passenger vehicle with a solarelectric, zero-emissions primary energy source for the daily commute while still permitting long-range travel utilizing the range-extension provided by the biodiesel engine. The average daily commute in the United States is less than 50 miles. During daily commuting use, the vehicle will operate solely as a solar-electric car. The electric vehicle (EV) system will be charged by deployable solar cells on its top surface while it is parked in a sun-lit parking lot during the workday. This charge will be sufficient to replenish energy used during a 50-mile commute. The commute is patterned as being comprised of 40 mph segments representing travel on arterial city roads and a 70-mph segment representing interstate highway travel. The biodiesel engine functions as the secondary power source to permit long-range trips with a refueling stop planned for around 350 miles; comparable to a conventional vehicle. The paper will report key elements of the vehicle design, including trade-offs between energy efficiency and passenger comfort/safety. Details of the various sub-systems such as the energy sources, the hybrid drive-train, and subsystem integration will be presented.
Skip Nav Destination
ASME 2009 3rd International Conference on Energy Sustainability collocated with the Heat Transfer and InterPACK09 Conferences
July 19–23, 2009
San Francisco, California, USA
Conference Sponsors:
- Advanced Energy Systems Division and Solar Energy Division
ISBN:
978-0-7918-4889-0
PROCEEDINGS PAPER
Transportation Integrating Green Energy Resources (TIGER)™: A Solar-Biodiesel Hybrid Commuter Vehicle Available to Purchase
Sushil H. Bhavnani
Sushil H. Bhavnani
Auburn University, Auburn, AL
Search for other works by this author on:
Sushil H. Bhavnani
Auburn University, Auburn, AL
Paper No:
ES2009-90372, pp. 753-760; 8 pages
Published Online:
September 29, 2010
Citation
Bhavnani, SH. "Transportation Integrating Green Energy Resources (TIGER)™: A Solar-Biodiesel Hybrid Commuter Vehicle." Proceedings of the ASME 2009 3rd International Conference on Energy Sustainability collocated with the Heat Transfer and InterPACK09 Conferences. ASME 2009 3rd International Conference on Energy Sustainability, Volume 1. San Francisco, California, USA. July 19–23, 2009. pp. 753-760. ASME. https://doi.org/10.1115/ES2009-90372
Download citation file:
9
Views
Related Proceedings Papers
Related Articles
Efficiency of Advanced Ground Transportation Technologies
J. Energy Resour. Technol (September,2002)
Assessment of Conventional and Alternative Energy Carriers for Use in Military Vehicle Platforms
J. Energy Resour. Technol (April,2021)
The End of the M.E.?
Mechanical Engineering (May,2005)
Related Chapters
Hydro Tasmania — King Island Case Study
Hydro, Wave and Tidal Energy Applications
Oil and Gas as Energy Source
Energy Supply and Pipeline Transportation: Challenges & Opportunities
Development of Nuclear Boiler and Pressure Vessels in Taiwan
Global Applications of the ASME Boiler & Pressure Vessel Code