Electric Trike

Electric trike (E-trike) is a three-wheeled electric vehicle designed for multipurpose activities such as goods delivery, tourist movement, and waste transporter. The vehicle can operate effectively on narrow roads, which are found in many cities in Indonesia. The gross vehicle weight of E-Trike is 500 kg, while the payload weight is 300 kg. The research and development of E-trike follows scientific principles in product development, starting from market survey, concept design, detailed design, prototyping, and testing. The research has been mainly funded by Lembaga Pengelola Dana Pendidikan (LPDP) since 2018. There are three generations of E-trike. First and second generation focus on technical development and reliability aspects (see Figure 1) whereas third generation has considering mass production costs, supply chain of components, and local contents (see Figure 2).

Figure 1. First generation of E-trike prototype uses glass fiber composite for body production (left) whereas the second generation uses metal sheets (right)

Figure 2. Third generation of E-trike prototype: Closed cabin E-trike for goods delivery (left) and open cabin for waste transporter (right)

E-trike is targeted to have local content up to 90%, which can only be achieved by designing it “from the scratch”. The design includes an integrated drive train system, braking system, energy storage system, and wiring harness. Those are systematically designed, manufactured, and tested to meet the highest safety standard. To achieve the 90% local content target, E-trike implements novel technology that has been listed in 11 Intellectual properties. E-Trike platform (see Figure 3) is developed as a universal platform which can fulfil a variety of purposes. From this platform, at least six body design variants can be installed. (see Figure 4).

Figure 3. Universal platform of E-trike

Figure 4. Design variant of E-Trike to fulfil various purposes

The body design variants include closed cabin and open cabin type suited to match the ease of access requirement for the driver. The open cabin type can fit for additional person seating in the front as driver assistant. For the carriage, E-trike has three different designs for different purposes i.e. good delivery with closed box having a maximum carriage volume of 550×1200×600 mm, waste transporter with open tub having volume of 550×1100×500 mm, and tourist movement with four seaters and one driver.

The development of E-Trike utilized Computer Aided Designs (CAD) during the vehicle design stage and manufacture process design. Numerical simulations were conducted to ensure the E-Trike design satisfies the standard for safety and performance prior to prototyping. Multibody dynamic simulation is done to select proper suspension ensuring driving comfort (see Figure 5). The utilization of CAD and simulations helps reduce the development cost of E-trike significantly.

Design adjustment and modification are done to improve the reliability and safety of the E-Trike platform, such as bracket improvement of electrical components, rear brake, or suspension, handlebar adjustment, tubular rod reduction, or anti-rust coating. This is because weak or unstable brackets can cause vibration or shock during riding and result in electrical components not being properly attached, potentially damaging electrical components or even causing system failure. After the suspension was designed and remade, the E-Trike's suspension swing became softer and improved the E-Trike rider’s comfort. Furthermore, the creation of this suspension also reduces the impact transferred to the box from the road. A significant reduction in impact is needed to ensure that the items carried in the box remain in good condition and there is no damage. The simulations and experiments done throughout the development of E-Trike are published as research papers.

Figure 5. Maneuverability analyses of E-trike using Multibody Dynamic Simulation