Integrating Safety and Sustainability: A Grid-Independent Ultralight Quadricycle for Secure Urban Mobility

Light electric vehicles (LEVs) offer sustainable urban mobility through low energy consumption and compact design. However, broader adoption requires integrating energy autonomy and road safety assessments into the initial design phase. This study introduces a novel combined evaluation of grid independence and crash safety for a pedal assisted quadricycle featuring vehicle-integrated photovoltaics (VIPV). A Florence-based case study first optimises geometry and VIPV placement to maximise solar yield under urban conditions. Second, simulations quantify occupant injury risk in heterogeneous traffic with increasing LEV market penetration, addressing the scarcity of real-world crash data. Results show that roof-oriented VIPV and parking-agnostic geometry significantly reduce external charging reliance. Concurrently, safety analyses confirm the vehicle's suitability for low-speed environments, specifically 30 km/h zones. This research establishes a generalisable methodology: while calibrated on Florence's topology and solar irradiance, the framework provides a scalable tool to minimise grid dependency and enhance safety across diverse climatic and traffic contexts.