Modification of an auto-rickshaw for drag reduction using numerical simulation

Design optimization of the vehicle has been an integral part of Vehicle Aerodynamics. The reason so much heed is given to this research area is due to the ever-growing concern of detrimental effects of fuel on the environment. This paper aims to optimize the shape of auto-rickshaw which is one of the most widely used vehicles in India. Being the developing nation, people use auto-rickshaw because it is economical which makes it essential to modify the design to reduce drag. This, in turn, improves the fuel efficiency of the auto-rickshaw. The impact of the addition of diffuser at the underbody along with varying slant angle at the rear side to provide boot area is studied. The modifications are done on CATIA V5 followed by investigating the coefficient of drag on ANSYS Fluent.