Overview
India unveiled the importance of e-vehicles after the launch of ‘National Electric Mobility Mission Plan (NEMMP) 2020′ in 2013 to address the issues of National energy security, vehicular pollution and growth of domestic manufacturing capabilities.
Due to the amendment passed by Indian Parliament in 2015, establishment of battery-powered e-rickshaws as a mode of commercial transportation bloomed. Their small size, increased efficiency and contribution to a healthy environment, made it a popular mode of transportation in Delhi, particularly in small lanes and congested areas.
An e-rickshaw comprises of an AC electric motor which is fed from a set of recharge-able batteries. Hence, a power converter circuit is installed which converts the battery’s DC voltage to required AC voltage. E-rickshaw batteries can be charged easily through the plug point of any residential supply.
As this is still a new concept, e-rickshaw manufacturers analyze and study the pattern of battery consumption on different roads of India with and without passengers, to improve technologies making them compatible for Indian roads.
Problem statement
The e-Rickshaw manufacturer needs to measure the load on a battery installed in rickshaw at different situations testing its carrying capacity in running condition.
To measure the load on the vehicle, current consumption is to be monitored, this pattern of current drawn by the vehicle is to be monitored when the vehicle is on-road and is carrying passengers. Their need was to understand the changes in current drawn by motor when riding through different types of roads – bumpy as well as smooth.
The bandwidth of load variation is very large, ranging from a few amperes to as high as tens of amperes and the data monitored should be easily accessible for offline analysis.
Solution
The above mentioned application required
- Continuous monitoring of current drawn by load
- Data logging of measured parameters
- Wide range of current measurement
- Stability of readings and better response time
- Communication between measuring device and data-analyser
Rishabh’s 6016 Bluetooth multimeter can be considered as the ideal solution for this application
- It has current measurement range of 10nA – 10A (upto 6000A using external clamps)
- Capable of logging 32,000 readings internally
- Can be easily connected with laptops or mobile phones using bluetooth connectivity
- iOS and Android apps available on Google Playstore for settings, monitoring, recording and viewing data graphically
The meter was connected to the batteries of the vehicle which was placed at the rear end. The data gets stored in the meter and was retrieved for analysis purpose. A data monitoring device was present inside the vehicle which was initially connected using Plug and Play USB cable, but when vehicle used to cross bumpy roads the connecting cables used to loosen-up and connectivity failed. Provision of bluetooth connectivity made transferring data to the device easier. The user can now easily analyse the trends of load consumption without any hassle.
Benefits
- Reliable and cost – effective solution
- Highly accurate and best suits the purpose
- Easy to handle and robust design which can sustain in stringent applications.
