The development directions of light-duty electric vehicle designs in the aspect of resource saving

Abstract

Problem. Every year, light-duty electric vehicles are used more and more for the delivery of various industrial goods, food products, and postal items to end consumers, in particular, on the orders of individuals. Such electric vehicles are called last-mile delivery vehicles. According to the main design and operational parameters, they belong to two categories – to three- or four-wheeled motor vehicles of category L and four-wheeled category N1. Today, light-duty electric vehicles with very different load capacities (from 50 kg to 800 kg) and autonomous mileage (from 30 km to more than 150 km) are manufactured and operated. It is clear that their operational characteristics are so different that their adequate comparison of different models is very often practically meaningless. And the selection of the values of the main technical and operational parameters at the stage of developing sketch proposals according to different structural schemes and on the basis of different aggregate base causes significant problems. Goal. The determination of the directions of development of the domestic field of design and production of promising competitive models of light-duty electric vehicles, taking into account modern problems of resource conservation, and development of recommendations regarding the selection of the values of their main technical and operational parameters and characteristic relative indicators. Methodology. On the basis of analytical studies, the classification of light-duty electric vehicles by load capacity was developed and the determination, taking into account the developed classification, of the recommended values of their defining technical and operational parameters. On the basis of expert assessment of existing systems of modular unification of structures of light-duty electric vehicles, the concept of their modular design system was developed. Results. On the basis of analytical studies, the classification of light-duty electric vehicles by load capacity was developed and the determination, taking into account the developed classification, of the recommended values of their defining technical and operational parameters. On the basis of expert assessment of existing systems of modular unification of structures of light-duty electric vehicles, the concept of their modular design system was developed. Originality. The relative indicators of the technical excellence of light-duty electric vehicles are proposed, the concept of a modular design system of standard-sized series of maximum-unified basic chassis of such vehicles is developed.  Practical value.  The proposed classification of small-capacity electric vehicles by cargo capacity greatly facilitates the selection of their relative evaluation indicators and operational parameters at the stage of developing draft proposals for the creation of promising and competitive models for the organization.