Solar Car (Tigris) Monocoque Design: Structure, Cost and Power Consumption

The main aim of this study is to produce the improved topology of a solar car monocoque in order to reduce its weight. Therefore, this paper analyzes these 3rd generation solar car (Tigris) monocoque structural integrity, cost and power consumption. Finite element analyses were performed to simulate the deformation and generate the stress contour of the solar car monocoque. Cost and power consumption were calculated using theoretical methods. Finally, the results from the current study are compared to the previous solar cars (Stingray and Tuah). Prior to that, mesh convergence analysis and numerical validation were performed. In terms of reducing weight, the results show that the strength of the current monocoque is comparable to the previous monocoques, even it used less materials and parts. The study also suggests that the cost of fabrication of the current monocoque can be reduced up to 27% while the power consumption can be reduced up to 28%. Due to the generated data and deduced findings, it can be concluded that the current study is useful and has contributed knowledge about designing and analyzing the structural integrity, cost and power consumption of a solar car monocoque.