Numerical investigation of the aerodynamic performance of a electrified mini car

Today, interest in electric vehicles has increased within the scope of reducing environmental and air pollution caused by motor vehicles, in which petroleum-derived fuels are mostly used. However, as in vehicles using internal combustion engines, aerodynamic performance in electric vehicles is an important factor affecting the vehicle range as well as design and safety. Therefore, examining and optimizing the aerodynamic performance of these vehicles is of great importance in terms of increasing the vehicle range. In this study, the aerodynamic performance of an electric vehicle in use was examined numerically and the optimization of side mirrors and wheels was investigated to increase performance. Instead of experimental measurements made in wind tunnels, examining aerodynamic performance using computational fluid dynamics and computer programs provides advantages in terms of time and cost. In the study, a single-dimensional simplified vehicle geometry was formed in the SolidWorks environment at a 1:1 scale, taking the original dimensions of the vehicle as a reference. The model was analyzed in ANSYS Fluent software under standard wall function and k-epsilon (2 eqn) turbulence model conditions and the changes in drag (CD) and lift coefficients (CL) were observed. Additionally, velocity and pressure distributions, streamlines and vectors on the vehicle surface and its surroundings were examined. In the analysis, it was determined that the reduction in CD value compared to the original model was achieved by optimizing the wheels, a 5,2% reduction, and by optimizing the side mirrors, a 8,9% reduction. These improvements are effective ways to achieve fuel economy and sustainability goals. The result shows that both approaches have potential in improving aerodynamic performance.