Driving cycle and temperature effects on the energy performance of a solar-powered electric vehicle in Istanbul

The global warming and climate change problem can be solved by emitting less greenhouse gases by transportation. Switching from fossil fuel burning cars to electric vehicle cars is one of the most promising solutions, however; they are as clean as their energy source. In this study, a generic model to estimate energy generation from PV-covered parking lot system and energy demand from electrical cars is established, and Istanbul is selected for a case study. Two main effects are investigated in the demand side: i) ambient temperature and; ii) driving style. In this study, it is considered that a 150 m2 parking lot for 10 cars is covered with 90 PV modules, size of 22.5 kW, to charge EVs in Istanbul, Turkey. The results show that the total annual energy consumption can be covered by a grid-connected PV system. Additionally, an off-grid PV system can cover about 198 and 268 days of energy demand in a year for the urban and highway driving conditions, respectively. Overall, ambient and driving conditions can affect the energy demand by 40%–60%.