Search Results

Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) with post-transmission parallel configuration attracted considerable attention due to their capacity to operate in either electric vehicle (EV) mode or hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) mode. Meanwhile, the added flexibility and multiple operation modes add additional challenges to vehicle control with acceptable drivability, particularly during the mode transition from the EV and HEV, since proper control is needed for the internal combustion engine (ICE), motor and coupling device to achieve smooth and fast transition, under various vehicle operation constraints such as mode-transition duration, vehicle acceleration fluctuation and friction loss of the dry clutch. In addition, the engagement of dry clutch features torque discontinuity due to slip-stick phenomenon and the dynamic behavior of the ICE further increases the nonlinearity of the powertrain system.

The focus of this paper is the process of implementation and integration of a series-parallel multiple-regime plugin hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) using a 2013 Chevrolet Malibu as a platform. The University of Victoria EcoCAR team used a 3-year vehicle development process (VDP) modeled after those used by major automotive manufacturers, and maintained by the rules of EcoCAR 2: Plugging into the Future. Intensive research and simulation resulted in selection of UVic's series-parallel multiple regime vehicle architecture during year 1 of the EcoCAR2 competition. Detailed mechanical design refinement has been conducted to allow final fabrication and integration of components. This has included detailed structural analysis and comparison with the stock vehicle, dynamic analysis of vehicle suspension changes, and manufacturability and serviceability improvements to the year 1 vehicle design.

Recent developments of hybrid vehicle technology have promoted another wave of vehicle electrification and introduction of pure electric vehicles (PEVs), such as Nissan Leaf and Ford Transit Connect Electric. The energy efficiency of these PEVs with an electric drive can be potentially further improved by introducing a two-speed or multi-speed gearbox to ensure the electric machine to operate at peak performance. In this work, a powertrain model of the Transit Connect Electric is built to examine the powertrain efficiency improvement potentials using a two-speed gearbox. The HEV and EV powertrain modeling tool, AUTONOMIE from US Argonne National Lab, is used for the powertrain modeling, and partially verified using vehicle testing data from US Environment Protection Agency (EPA). An optimization method, whose kernel is Dynamic Programming (DP), is combined with the model to find the possible minimum energy consumption and corresponding gear ratios.

The focus of this paper is the design and implementation of a series-parallel multiple-regime plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) using a 2013 Chevrolet Malibu as a platform. The University of Victoria EcoCAR team used a 3-year vehicle development process (VDP) modeled after those used by Tier 1 automotive manufacturers, and maintained by the rules of EcoCAR 2: Plugging into the Future. Intensive research was conducted to determine the ideal architecture selection based on overall greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, criteria air contaminant (CAC) emissions, fuel economy, petroleum use, and vehicle performance. As a result, a series-parallel design was pursued, using a high power rear traction motor and large BAS electric machine tied to an E85 compatible 4-cylinder internal combustion engine (ICE). This architecture platform provides for multiple regimes of operation including electric only operation provided by the 14.8 kWh lithium ion battery.

The focus of this paper is the design, implementation, and initial testing of a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle drivetrain in a 2009 GM compact SUV base vehicle by the University of Victoria's EcoCAR Team. The Team is using a condensed three-year vehicle development process modeled after those used by Tier 1 automotive manufactures, and mandated by the competition rules of EcoCAR: The NeXt Challenge. During the first year of the competition, intensive research was performed to identify a powertrain architecture that would give the best overall performance based on greenhouse gas emissions, criteria air contaminant emissions, fuel economy, petroleum use, and vehicle performance according to the weighting formulas of the competition. As a result, an extended range electric vehicle utilizing GM's Two-Mode transmission, a large lithium-ion battery pack, and a rear traction motor was selected; these components were integrated into the vehicle in the second year of the competition.

Advances in battery and hybrid powertrain technology have significantly expanded the automotive design space. In this work, the design process of a new extended range electric vehicle (E-REV) is presented, following the industry standard vehicle development process (VDP). To effectively achieve the design targets, the team developed the project following a model-based design (MBD) approach which is similar to what is used in industrial practice. The design process started from a vehicle technical specification, which defines the required vehicle performance characteristics. Then models were built to exam various design options against the design targets. Improved vehicle performance was demonstrated through model-in-loop (MIL), software-in-loop (SIL) and hardware-in-loop (HIL) simulations.