Kirby Flower Smith

Design and implementation of an autonomous hybrid vehicle

This paper outlines the design strategy for the University of Johannesburgs (UJs) hybrid vehicle entry into the South African Solar Challenge (SASC) 2010. The SASC is a biennial event focused on alternative energies and showcasing various automotive technologies. The SASC is broken up into different classes; UJ entered in the Greenfleet Technology class. This paper presents the design principles and strategies used to implement a working prototype vehicle which is hybrid (propelled by multiple energy sources) and autonomous (able to operate without human assistance).

Interchangeable energy sources for hybrid vehicles

This paper outlines the design strategy for the University of Johannesburgs (UJs) alternative energy vehicles which were entered into the 2012 South African Solar Challenge (SASC). The SASC is an event which occurs every two years, and showcases novel alternative energy technologies. A methodology is presented which was used in the construction of two prototype alternative energy vehicles that allows various interchangeable energy sources to be used for sustained driving. In order to demonstrate this concept, four different energy sources are presented in this paper and sample results are presented. The energy sources are as follows: a hydrogen fuel cell, a microturbine generator, a liquid petroleum gas generator, and a standard petroleum generator. The two hybrid vehicles developed by the UJ came first and second in the Greenfleet Technology class, and one of the vehicles placed fourth overall with respect to distance travelled.