Design and Prototype of a Solar Charging Station for Light Electric Vehicle Micromobility: A Case Study at UAQ

Abstract

The adoption of light electric vehicles, such as electric scooters and bicycles, has increased interest in sustainable micromobility systems for university and urban environments. However, limited access to dedicated charging infrastructure remains a practical barrier to wider implementation. This study presents the design, sizing, and preliminary experimental validation of a photovoltaic charging station for light electric vehicles at the Autonomous University of Querétaro, Mexico. The system was developed through a technical, energy, and functional analysis of its main components, including photovoltaic modules, an MPPT charge controller, a battery bank, a pure sine wave inverter, and charging points for micromobility vehicles. The proposed system consists of two 300 W photovoltaic modules, a 100 A MPPT charge controller, a 24 V battery bank with a nominal storage capacity of 2,760 Wh, and a 4,000 W pure sine wave inverter. The estimated daily photovoltaic generation was 2,802 Wh under the assumed solar resource conditions. The prototype was designed as a pilot-scale system for partial and controlled charging of light electric vehicles. The estimated operating time was 7.88 h for a 350 W electric scooter load and 5.52 h for a 500 W electric bicycle load. Experimental monitoring showed inverter output voltages between 112 V and 116 V during scooter charging, while the bicycle test exhibited a voltage reduction during the final stage of operation. The results demonstrate the technical feasibility of the proposed photovoltaic charging station under controlled operating conditions and provide a practical methodology for the design, sizing, and experimental evaluation of photovoltaic charging systems for campus micromobility. Future work should focus on increasing photovoltaic generation capacity, expanding battery storage, and implementing advanced energy management strategies to improve system reliability and service capacity.