The Mechanical Performance of Tarsius EV-2 Chassis as an Electric Vehicle Prototype – Analytical Approach

Tarsius EV-2 is an electric vehicle (EV) prototype designed with energy efficiency as its primary objective. Fundamental to this effort is the chassis, which establishes the foundational structure of the vehicle and plays an essential role in its performance, safety, and reliability. This study aimed to examine the mechanical performance of the Tarsius EV-2 chassis through simulation-based analysis. Two conditions were analyzed: driving and crash modes. The results indicated that while in driving mode, the chassis was reliable, experiencing von Mises stress of only 114.86 MPa and maintaining a factor of safety of 2. However, when subjected to a crash mode, the stress increased significantly by 220.75%, reaching a value higher than the material's tensile strength. Consequently, this directly influenced the safety factor, causing it to drop below 1, which signifies that the chassis would immediately fail. To improve its mechanical performance, enhancements were also conducted. The results of these enhancements showed that the von Mises stress in the crash condition was reduced by 69.06%, while the factor of safety increased by 228.12%. According to these findings, the improved Tarsius EV-2 chassis is more promising than its earlier version and capable of fulfilling the requirements for a prototype vehicle chassis under the Shell Eco-marathon standard.