Modeling, Simulation, and Performance Comparison of Three Configuration of Hybrid Vehicles

What is it about?

It is evident that automotive industry has been conducting a continuous research to develop better vehicles with better performance. Many tracks of development and improvements have been investigated such as electric vehicles, hybrid ICE/battery vehicles, and recently hybrid FC/battery vehicles. Because of the many hybrid and electrical vehicle configurations and powertrain technologies, modeling and simulation of such vehicles are very important tools for final design development. Simulation saves time and cost in predicting performance, selecting powertrain components, and tuning control systems. In this paper, three hybrid vehicle models are developed and tested based on forward looking model and utilizing the Powertrain System Analysis Toolkit (PSAT) software package. Unlike most of the literature, this paper shows more details about the sizing of the major components of the proposed powertrains. The main hybrid powertrain components were sized such that acceptable drivability, performance, and fuel economy are achieved. The performance of developed vehicle models is compared with an internal combustion engine (ICE) Nissan Sunny vehicle model using a non-standard driving cycle that was developed to reflect a local driving pattern. The hybrid models under investigation are hybrid fuel cell/battery vehicle, hybrid ICE/battery vehicle with series configuration, and hybrid ICE/battery vehicle with parallel configuration. The performance of the models is investigated in terms of fuel economy, drivability, emissions, and efficiency. The models were given the same power capability in order to achieve a subjective comparison. Simulation results demonstrate that the hybrid FC/battery configuration performs the best and is consequently recommended as the powertrain of choice for future vehicless

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Why is it important?

Unlike most of the literature, this paper shows more details about the sizing of the major components of the proposed powertrains. The main hybrid powertrain components were sized such that acceptable drivability, performance, and fuel economy are achieved. The performance of developed vehicle models is compared with an internal combustion engine (ICE) Nissan Sunny vehicle model using a non-standard driving cycle that was developed to reflect a local driving pattern.