DESIGN AND TESTING OF THE PROPULSION SYSTEM OF A PROTOTYPE ELECTRIC VEHICLE INTENDED FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES

The paper describes the design and testing of the first lightweight electric vehicle designed for people with disabilities, which was developed at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering of the Cracow University of Technology. The tests included bench tests on a dynamometer and urban driving simulations to evaluate parameters such as torque, engine power, top speed, and energy consumption. The vehicle was equipped with BLDC motors mounted directly in the rear wheel hubs and lithium-iron-phosphate batteries. The results showed good vehicle dynamics and efficiency with low energy consumption in the urban cycle. The analysis confirmed the vehicle's satisfactory range on a single charge. Based on the results, further improvements were suggested, such as implementing regenerative braking and reducing aerodynamic drag through body design. This allowed for increased energy efficiency and functionality of the vehicle in everyday use.