A Matlab-based modeling and simulation package for electric andhybrid electric vehicle design

This paper discusses a simulation and modeling package developed at Texas A&M University, V-Elph 2.01. V-Elph facilitates in-depth studies of electric vehicle (EV) and hybrid EV (HEV) configurations or energy management strategies through visual programming by creating components as hierarchical subsystems that can be used interchangeably as embedded systems. V-Elph is composed of detailed models of four major types of components: electric motors, internal combustion engines, batteries, and support components that can be integrated to model and simulate drive trains having all electric, series hybrid, and parallel hybrid configurations. V-Elph was written in the Matlab/Simulink graphical simulation language and is portable to most computer platforms. This paper also discusses the methodology for designing vehicle drive trains using the V-Elph package. An EV, a series HEV, a parallel HEV, and a conventional internal combustion engine (ICE) driven drive train have been designed using the simulation package. Simulation results such as fuel consumption, vehicle emissions, and complexity are compared and discussed for each vehicle     

Fuzzy Gain-Scheduling Proportional–Integral Control for Improving Engine Power and Speed Behavior in a Hybrid Electric Vehicle

With the increased emphasis on improving fuel economy and reducing emissions, hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) have emerged as very strong candidates to achieve these goals. The power-split hybrid system, which is a complex hybrid powertrain, exhibits great potential to improve fuel economy by determining the most efficient regions for engine operation and thereby high-voltage (HV) battery operation to achieve overall vehicle efficiency optimization. To control and maintain the actual HV battery power, a sophisticated control system is essential, which controls engine power and thereby engine speed to achieve the desired HV battery maintenance power. Conventional approaches use proportional-integral (PI) control systems to control the actual HV battery power in power-split HEV, which can sometimes result in either overshoots of engine speed and power or degraded response and settling times due to the nonlinearity of the power-split hybrid system. We have developed a novel approach to intelligently controlling engine power and speed behavior in a power-split HEV using the fuzzy control paradigm for better performances. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first reported use of the fuzzy control method to control engine power and speed of a power-split HEV in the applied automotive field. Our approach uses fuzzy gain scheduling to determine appropriate gains for the PI controller based on the system's operating conditions. The improvements include elimination of the overshoots as well as approximate 50% faster response and settling times in comparison with the conventional linear PI control approach. The improved performances are demonstrated through simulations and field experiments using a ford escape hybrid vehicle.     

Trip-Based Optimal Power Management of Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles

Hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) have demonstrated the capability to improve fuel economy and emissions. The plug-in HEV (PHEV), utilizing more battery power, has become a more attractive upgrade of the HEV. The charge-depletion mode is more appropriate for the power management of PHEVs, i.e., the state of charge (SOC) is expected to drop to a low threshold when the vehicle reaches the trip destination. Trip information has so far been considered as future information for vehicle operation and is thus not available a priori. This situation can be changed by the recent advancement in intelligent transportation systems (ITSs) based on the use of on-board global positioning systems (GPSs), geographical information systems (GISs), and advanced traffic flow modeling techniques. In this paper, a new approach to optimal power management of PHEVs in the charge-depletion mode is proposed with driving cycle modeling based on the historic traffic information. A dynamic programming (DP) algorithm is applied to reinforce the charge-depletion control such that the SOC drops to a specific terminal value at the end of the driving cycle. The vehicle model was based on a hybrid electric sport utility vehicle (SUV). Only fuel consumption is considered for the current stage of the study. A simulation study was conducted for several standard driving cycles and two trip models using the proposed method, and the results showed significant improvement in fuel economy compared with a rule-based control and a depletion sustenance control for most cases. Furthermore, the results showed much better consistency in fuel economy compared with rule-based and depletion sustenance control.      

Development of a Dual-Fuel Power Generation System for an Extended Range Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle

In recent decades, there has been a growing global concern with regard to vehicle-generated greenhouse gas emissions and the resulting air pollution. In response, automotive original equipment manufacturers focus their efforts on developing “greener” propulsion solutions in order to meet the societal demand and ecological need for clean transportation. Hydrogen is an ideal vehicle fuel for use not only in fuel cells (FCs) but also in a spark-ignition internal combustion engines (ICEs). The combustion of hydrogen $( hbox{H}_{2})$ fuel offers vastly superior tail-pipe emissions when compared with gasoline and can offer improved performance. $hbox{H}_{2}$ is ideally suited for use in an extended range plug-in hybrid electric vehicle architecture where engine efficiency can be optimized for a single engine speed. $hbox{H}_{2}$ ICEs are significantly more cost effective then an equivalent-sized $hbox{H}_{2}$ FC making them a better near-term solution. Before hydrogen can replace gasoline and diesel as the main source of automotive fuel, a number of hurdles must first be overcome. One such hurdle includes developing a suitable hydrogen infrastructure, which could take decades. As such, dual-fuel capabilities will help to create a transition between gasoline- and hydrogen-powered vehicles in the near term, while a full-service hydrogen infrastructure is developed.      

Modellierung der parallelen Antriebsstränge für ein Hybrid-Elektrofahrzeug vom Typ „Hybrid Through The Road“

Hybrid electric vehicles (HEV) are equipped with an internal combustion engine (ICE) and an electric drive (ED). They are devided into serial and parallel HEVs, depending on the power flow. The ED needs to be controlled. This allows reduction of emissions and the amount of gas. In regenerative braking, the braking energy is converted into electrical energy and fed into a battery. The fuel efficiency of the ICE in the driving state is increased by loading or uploading through ED. Cut off the ICE while standstill reduces the waste of gas. A simulation tool in MATLAB/SIMULINK calculates the amount of gas for an HEV of parallel type for a given driving cycle. The drives are considered as efficiency maps from measured data. The fuel economy of the HEV depends on the driving cycle, the vehicle mass and the engine speed while shift of gears. For a vehicle of Minivan class, the saving is between 17% up to 25% compared to a vehicle driven by an ICE only.     

Hybrid Electric Vehicles: Architecture and Motor Drives

Electric traction is one of the most promising technologies that can lead to significant improvements in vehicle performance, energy utilization efficiency, and polluting emissions. Among several technologies, hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) traction is the most promising technology that has the advantages of high performance, high fuel efficiency, low emissions, and long operating range. Moreover, the technologies of all the component hardware are technically and markedly available. At present, almost all the major automotive manufacturers are developing hybrid electric vehicles, and some of them have marketed their productions, such as Toyota and Honda. This paper reviews the present technologies of HEVs in the range of drivetrain configuration, electric motor drives, and energy storages     

Advanced Integrated Bidirectional AC/DC and DC/DC Converter for Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicles

Hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) technology provides an effective solution for achieving higher fuel economy, better performance, and lower emissions, compared with conventional vehicles. Plug-in HEVs (PHEVs) are HEVs with plug-in capabilities and provide a more all-electric range; hence, PHEVs improve fuel economy and reduce emissions even more. PHEVs have a battery pack of high energy density and can run solely on electric power for a given range. The battery pack can be recharged by a neighborhood outlet. In this paper, a novel integrated bidirectional AC/DC charger and DC/DC converter (henceforth, the integrated converter) for PHEVs and hybrid/plug-in-hybrid conversions is proposed. The integrated converter is able to function as an AC/DC battery charger and to transfer electrical energy between the battery pack and the high-voltage bus of the electric traction system. It is shown that the integrated converter has a reduced number of high-current inductors and current transducers and has provided fault-current tolerance in PHEV conversion.     

Trends in transportation sector technology energy use andgreenhouse gas emissions

Concerns about air pollution, environmental degradation, and petroleum consumption have prompted policy makers in many countries to seek advanced transportation alternatives. In response to such societal needs, automobile manufacturers have develope vehicles which either replace the internal combustion engine with an electric motor or which provide a hybrid configuration with a combination of an IC engine (ICE) and an electric motor. In some concepts, fuel cells replace the IC engine in a hybrid vehicle configuration. Several of these technologies have been brought to market by auto manufacturers, with initial product offerings. In other cases, advanced concept cars are being developed to further these technologies. In response to these same concerns, research and development projects are underway to make the ICE vehicles more efficient. These projects have involved both improvements in engine/drive train efficiency as well as more efficient heating-cooling systems. This paper provides an overview of the transportation sector usage patterns, energy consumption, and emissions, and discusses the societal issues which impact decisions on transportation issues. The article then provides an overview of the electrotechnological advances which are being developed to address transportation energy use and emissions issues, and discusses the potential for emissions reduction through the successful deployment of these and competing technologies. The article concludes that reduction in transportation sector carbon emissions are achievable     

Charge balance control schemes for cascade multilevel converter in hybrid electric vehicles

This paper presents transformerless multilevel converters as an application for high-power hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) motor drives. Multilevel converters: (1) can generate near-sinusoidal voltages with only fundamental frequency switching; (2) have almost no electromagnetic interference or common-mode voltage; and (3) make an HEV more accessible/safer and open wiring possible for most of an HEV's power system. The cascade inverter is a natural fit for large automotive hybrid electric drives because it uses several levels of DC voltage sources, which would be available from batteries, ultracapacitors, or fuel cells. Simulation and experimental results show how to operate this converter in order to maintain equal charge/discharge rates from the DC sources (batteries, capacitors, or fuel cells) in an HEV.     

Getting a Ford HEV on the road

A series of prototypes has culminated in an advanced hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) that can be driven and evaluated like any other test car. An Escort station wagon is the basis for the vehicle which is equipped with a 5O kW (68 hp) three-cylinder engine and a 30 kW electric drive coupled to an automatic transmission and to a 7 kWh nickel-cadmium battery. The engine and electric drive are fully integrated and are automatically blended to meet the driver's demands. In general the vehicle runs on the electric drive in slow city traffic, on the engine when cruising at highway speeds, and on both when hard acceleration is required. The electric drive captures regenerative energy to improve the vehicle's overall efficiency. The design of this vehicle and the trade-off issues are discussed     

Effects of drivetrain hybridization on fuel economy and dynamic performance of parallel hybrid electric vehicles

Hybrid electric vehicles have proved to be the most practical solution in reaching very high fuel economy as well as very low emissions. However, there is no standard solution for the optimal size or ratio of the internal combustion engine and the electric system. The optimum choice includes complex tradeoffs between the heat engine and electric propulsion system on one hand and cost, fuel economy, and performance on the other. Each component, as well as the overall system, have to be optimized to give optimal performance and durability at a low price. In this paper, we look at the effects of hybridization on fuel economy and dynamic performances of vehicles. Different hybridization levels from mild to full hybrid electric traction systems are examined. We also present the optimum level of hybridization for typical passenger cars. This study shows that low hybridization levels provide an acceptable fuel economy benefit at a low price, while the optimal level of hybridization ranges between 0.3 and 0.5, depending on the total vehicle power.     

Online Energy Management for Hybrid Electric Vehicles

Hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) are equipped with multiple power sources for improving the efficiency and performance of their power supply system. An energy management (EM) strategy is needed to optimize the internal power flows and satisfy the driver's power demand. To achieve maximum fuel profits from EM, many solution methods have been presented. Optimal solution methods are typically not feasible in an online application due to their computational demand and their need to have a priori knowledge about future vehicle power demand. In this paper, an online EM strategy is presented with the ability to mimic the optimal solution but without using a priori road information. Rather than solving a mathematical optimization problem, the methodology concentrates on a physical explanation about when to produce, consume, and store electric power. This immediately reveals the vehicle characteristics that are important for EM. It is shown that this concept applies to many existing HEVs as well as possible future vehicle configurations. Since the method only focuses on typical vehicle characteristics, the underlying algorithm requires minor computational effort and can be executed in real time. Clear directions for online implementation are given in this paper. A parallel HEV with a 5-kW integrated starter/generator (ISG) is selected to demonstrate the performance of the EM strategy. Simulation results indicate that the proposed EM strategy exhibits similar behavior as an optimal solution obtained from dynamic programming. Profits in fuel economy primarily arise from engine stop/start and energy obtained during regenerative braking. This latter energy is preferably used for pure electric propulsion where the internal combustion engine is switched off.      

Comprehensive drive train efficiency analysis of hybrid electric and fuel cell vehicles based on motor-controller efficiency modeling

From the point of view of overall hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) and fuel cell vehicle (FCV) drive train efficiency, the research focus is mainly on the efficiency analysis of the power train components, which prove to be an integral part of modern HEV and FCV drive trains. The critical portion of any HEV electrical system consists of a power electronic converter (inverter) and a suitable traction motor. Thus, the efficiency analysis of the inverter/motor is of prime importance for the calculation of the overall efficiency of the drive trains. This paper aims at modeling the efficiencies of the traction motor/controller through efficiency maps. Efficiency maps are a convenient way to represent motor drive systems of large and complex systems, like that of a HEV. The paper uses the advanced vehicle simulator (ADVISOR) software for the simulations of a large-sized car, similar to a Chevy Lumina, over the urban dynamometer-driving schedule and highway fuel economy test drive cycles. Furthermore, the paper investigates the traction motor efficiency maps and consequent overall drive train efficiencies of commercially available Honda Insight and Toyota Prius HEVs. In all the case studies, the aim is to analyze the overall drive train efficiency over the city and highway drive cycles based on the inverter/motor efficiency maps.     

Energy management strategies for vehicular electric power systems

In the near future, a significant increase in electric power consumption in vehicles is expected. To limit the associated increase in fuel consumption and exhaust emissions, smart strategies for the generation, storage/retrieval, distribution, and consumption of electric power will be used. Inspired by the research on energy management for hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs), this paper presents an extensive study on controlling the vehicular electric power system to reduce the fuel use and emissions, by generating and storing electrical energy only at the most suitable moments. For this purpose, both off-line optimization methods using knowledge of the driving pattern and on-line implementable ones are developed and tested in a simulation environment. Results show a reduction in fuel use of 2%, even without a prediction of the driving cycle being used. Simultaneously, even larger reductions of the emissions are obtained. The strategies can also be applied to a mild HEV with an integrated starter alternator (ISA), without modifications, or to other types of HEVs with slight changes in the formulation.     

Vehicle Stability Enhancement of Four-Wheel-Drive Hybrid Electric Vehicle Using Rear Motor Control

A vehicle stability enhancement control algorithm for a four-wheel-drive hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) is proposed using rear motor driving, regenerative braking control, and electrohydraulic brake (EHB) control. A fuzzy-rule-based control algorithm is proposed, which generates the direct yaw moment to compensate for the errors of the sideslip angle and yaw rate. Performance of the vehicle stability control algorithm is evaluated using ADAMS and MATLAB Simulink cosimulations. HEV chassis elements such as the tires, suspension system, and steering system are modeled to describe the vehicle's dynamic behavior in more detail using ADAMS, whereas HEV power train elements such as the engine, motor, battery, and transmission are modeled using MATLAB Simulink with the control algorithm. It is found from the simulation results that the driving and regenerative braking at the rear motor is able to provide improved stability. In addition, better performance can be achieved by applying the driving and regenerative braking control, as well as EHB control.     

Fuzzy-logic-based torque control strategy for parallel-type hybridelectric vehicle

In a parallel-type hybrid electric vehicle (HEV), torque assisting and battery recharging control using the electric machine is the key point for efficient driving. In this paper, by adopting the decision-making property of fuzzy logic, the driving map for an HEV is made according to driving conditions. In this fuzzy logic controller, the induction machine torque command is generated from the acceleration pedal stroke and its rotational speed. To construct a proper rule base of fuzzy logic, the dynamo test and road tests for a hybrid powertrain are carried out, where the torque and the nitrogen oxides (NO_x) emission characteristic of the diesel engine and the driver's driving patterns are acquired, respectively. An HEV, a city bus for shuttle service, with the proposed fuzzy-logic-based driving strategy was built and tested at a real service route. It reveals that the improved NO_x emission and better charge balance without an extra battery charger over the conventional deterministic-table-based strategy     

Evaluation of soft switching for EV and HEV motor drives

Soft switching has the potential of reducing switch stresses and of lowering the switching losses as compared to hard switching. To understand the effectiveness of the soft-switching technique, when applied to electric vehicle (EV) and hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) systems, it may be necessary to first evaluate their system requirements and performance. This evaluation process would require knowledge of the vehicle dynamics. The vehicle load requires a special torque-speed profile from the drivetrain for minimum power ratings to meet the vehicle's operational constraints, such as initial acceleration and gradability. The selection of motor and its control for EV and HEV applications are dictated mainly by this special torque-speed requirement. As a consequence, this requirement will have a strong influence on the converter operation. This paper makes an attempt to evaluate EV and HEV running in both standard Federal Test Procedure 1975 city driving and highway driving cycles. A simplified analysis is carried out for several of the most commonly used electric motors operating on the optimal torque-speed profile. Special attention is given to the converter conduction and switching losses, by analyzing the switching losses, and by assuming that an ideal soft-switching scheme will have zero switching losses, one can evaluate the improvement in the system efficiency if a soft-switching control is used. The relative significance of soft switching for EV and HEV systems is then established     

Design and Control Methodology of Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles

This paper systematically discusses the design and control methodologies of a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV). Design methodology is focused on battery energy and power capacity design. Two kinds of typical batteries, namely, NiMH and Li-ion, are discussed. Control strategies focus on all electric range and charge depletion range operations. In addition, a constrained engine on and off control strategy is discussed for charge-sustained operation. Simulation has been performed for an example passenger car. The simulation results indicate that a significant amount of fuel can be displaced by electric energy in typical urban driving.      

Performance comparison of a fuel cell-battery hybrid powertrain and a fuel cell-ultracapacitor hybrid powertrain

This paper studies two hybrid power systems for vehicle applications: a fuel cell-battery hybrid powertrain and a fuel cell-ultracapacitor hybrid powertrain. First, the characteristics of fuel cell, battery, and ultracapacitor as power sources are summarized. Then the configurations of the two types of hybrid fuel cell powertrains are presented. Finally, example hybrid powertrains are designed and simulated using ADVISOR. The simulation results indicate that ultracapacitors can more effectively assist the fuel cell to meet the vehicle power demand and help achieve a better performance and a higher fuel economy.     

A 42-V Electrical and Hybrid Driving System Based on a Vehicular Waste-Heat Thermoelectric Generator

A 42-V powernet has been recognized as the next generation of vehicle electrical systems, and the waste-heat thermoelectric generator is becoming the future of vehicular energy conservation and emission reduction technologies. In this paper, effective utilization of vehicular waste-heat energy is proposed by introducing an electrical and hybrid driving system, which is an assemblage of a waste-heat thermoelectric generator, a 42-V powernet, and an integrated starter and generator (ISG). A vehicle model and the submodels for the new system have been built on the ADVISOR platform based on MATLAB/Simulink, and the dynamic performance of the vehicle model tested using the Economic Commission for Europe?CEurope Urban Dynamometer Cycle driving cycle. The simulation results indicate that application of a 42-V waste-heat thermoelectric vehicle could be an integrated approach for fuel economy improvement and emission reduction, compared with a conventional internal combustion engine vehicle and an ISG-type 42-V vehicle.