Retrofitting ICE Tricycles to Electric Systems: A Case Study for Low-Carbon Urban Transportation Solutions

DOI

10.2991/978-94-6463-970-4_40How to use a DOI?

Keywords

Electric Vehicle; Retrofitting; Tricycle (cargo tricycles); Sustainability; mobility; transport; Internal Combustion; Environmental Impact; Economic Analysis; Battery-powered transport

Abstract

Tricycles (“aboboyaa”) are vital and common for transport in Ghana’s rural and peri-urban areas but their internal combustion engines emit greenhouse gases, cause noise pollution, and incur high maintenance costs. This study examines the technical and economic feasibility of retrofitting such tricycles with electric drivetrains as a low-cost, sustainable alternative. A prototype electric tricycle was built using locally available components—a 2,200 W brushless DC motor, 60 V 160 Ah lithium-ion battery, and custom controller. The retrofitted tricycle achieved Range: 4.34 km per charge, Energy Efficiency: 1382.49 Wh/km, and Charging Cost: less than a litre of fuel. Total Retrofit Cost: < 18% of a new tricycle, demonstrating strong affordability for low-income operators. Performance tests showed smoother operation, minimal vibration, and zero tailpipe emissions. Key challenges included limited battery range, chassis compatibility issues, lack of charging infrastructure, and low local EV expertise, requiring trade-offs in load capacity and moisture protection. Nonetheless, the results confirm the technical viability and economic attractiveness of EV retrofitting as a practical step toward reducing emissions, improving public health, and creating local green jobs. The project underscores opportunities for policy incentives and public-private partnerships to scale adoption, build technical capacity, and develop supporting infrastructure. Future work should extend driving range, integrate regenerative braking and solar charging, and develop modular retrofit kits adaptable to diverse tricycle types. Overall, this research provides a scalable green transport model aligned with SDGs on climate action, sustainable cities, and economic inclusion.

Copyright

© 2025 The Author(s)

Open Access

Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

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TY  - CONF
AU  - Glenn K. Gyimah
AU  - Patricia Kwakye-Boateng
AU  - S. F. Hackman Duncan
AU  - Samuel Obeng
AU  - Ernest Dziekpor
AU  - William Bekune
AU  - Rabbi Asamoah Gyan
PY  - 2025
DA  - 2025/12/31
TI  - Retrofitting ICE Tricycles to Electric Systems: A Case Study for Low-Carbon Urban Transportation Solutions
BT  - Proceedings of the International Conference on Engineering, Science, and Urban Sustainability (ICESUS 2025)
PB  - Atlantis Press
SP  - 639
EP  - 652
SN  - 2352-5401
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2991/978-94-6463-970-4_40
DO  - 10.2991/978-94-6463-970-4_40
ID  - Gyimah2025
ER  -