Urban and extra-urban hybrid vehicles: a technological review

Pollution derived from transportation systems is a worldwide, timelier issue than ever. The abatement actions of harmful substances in the air are on the agenda and they are necessary today to safeguard our welfare and that of the planet. Environmental pollution in large cities is approximately 20% due to the transportation system. In addition, private traffic contributes greatly to city pollution. Further, “vehicle operating life” is most often exceeded and vehicle emissions do not comply with European antipollution standards. It becomes mandatory to find a solution that respects the environment and, realize an appropriate transportation service to the customers. New technologies related to hybrid –electric engines are making great strides in reducing emissions, and the funds allocated by public authorities should be addressed. In addition, the use (implementation) of new technologies is also convenient from an economic point of view. In fact, by implementing the use of hybrid vehicles, fuel consumption can be reduced. The different hybrid configurations presented refer to such a series architecture, developed by the researchers and Research and Development groups. Regarding energy flows, different strategy logic or vehicle management units have been illustrated. Various configurations and vehicles were studied by simulating different driving cycles, both European approval and homologation and customer ones (typically municipal and university). The simulations have provided guidance on the optimal proposed configuration and information on the component to be used

The Jet Propulsion Laboratory Electric and Hybrid Vehicle System Research and Development Project, 1977-1984: A Review

The JPL Electric and Hybrid Vehicle System Research and Development Project was established in the spring of 1977. Originally administered by the Energy Research and Development Administration (ERDA) and later by the Electric and Hybrid Vehicle Division of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), the overall Program objective was to decrease this nation's dependence on foreign petroleum sources by developing the technologies and incentives necessary to bring electric and hybrid vehicles successfully into the marketplace. The ERDA/DOE Program structure was divided into two major elements: (1) technology research and system development and (2) field demonstration and market development. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) has been one of several field centers supporting the former Program element. In that capacity, the specific historical areas of responsibility have been: (1) Vehicle system developments (2) System integration and test (3) Supporting subsystem development (4) System assessments (5) Simulation tool development

Hybrid vehicles: a temporary step

The presented paper discusses the diffusion of hybrid electric technology in vehicles. It is put into question whether the current strong acceptance of the technology especially by US consumers is of sustainable nature. Therefore, different variables influencing the diffusion of the technology are presented and their influence on the market analyzed. It is found that non-financial criteria drive consumers' buying decisions significantly.The article also presents an overview of company strategies in the field of OEMs and suppliers of hybrid electric components. It is found that most companies integrate hybrid electric vehicles in their technology portfolio. It is concluded that even though hybrid electric technology can not yet being applied profitably yet it seems to be a key technology to the industry due to its current positive perception in the US. However, diesel technology and the intelligent use of cost efficient measures to reduce fuel consumption provide sustainable alternatives.automobile; hybrid technology; innovation; strategy

Prospects for Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles in the United States and Japan: A General Equilibrium Analysis

Abstract and PDF report are also available on the MIT Joint Program on the Science and Policy of Global Change website (http://globalchange.mit.edu/)The plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) may offer a potential near term, low carbon alternative to today's gasoline- and diesel-powered vehicles. A representative vehicle technology that runs on electricity in addition to conventional fuels was introduced into the MIT Emissions Prediction and Policy Analysis (EPPA) model as a perfect substitute for internal combustion engine (ICE-only) vehicles in two likely early-adopting markets, the United States and Japan. We investigate the effect of relative vehicle cost and all-electric range on the timing of PHEV market entry in the presence and absence of an advanced cellulosic biofuels technology and a strong (450ppm) economy-wide carbon constraint. Vehicle cost could be a significant barrier to PHEV entry unless fairly aggressive goals for reducing battery costs are met. If a low cost vehicle is available we find that the PHEV has the potential to reduce CO2 emissions, refined oil demand, and under a carbon policy the required CO2 price in both the United States and Japan. The emissions reduction potential of PHEV adoption depends on the carbon intensity of electric power generation and the size of the vehicle fleet. Thus, the technology is much more effective in reducing CO2 emissions if adoption occurs under an economy-wide cap and trade system that also encourages low-carbon electricity generation.BP Conversion Research Project and the MIT Joint Program on the Science and Policy of Global Change through a consortium of industrial sponsors and Federal grants

Journey predictive energy management strategy for a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle

The adoption of Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEVs) is widely seen as an interim solution for the decarbonisation of the transport sector. Within a PHEV, determining the required energy storage capacity of the battery remains one of the primary concerns for vehicle manufacturers and system integrators. This fact is particularly pertinent since the battery constitutes the largest contributor to vehicle mass. Furthermore, the financial cost associated with the procurement, design and integration of battery systems is often cited as one of the main barriers to vehicle commercialisation. The ability to integrate the optimization of the energy management control system with the sizing of key PHEV powertrain components presents a significant area of research. Further, recent studies suggest the use of \intelligent transport" infrastructure to include a predictive element to the energy management strategy to achieve reductions in emissions. The thesis addresses the problem of determining the links between component-sizing, real-world usage and energy management strategies for a PHEV. The objective is to develop an integrated framework in which the advantages of predictive energy management can be realised by component downsizing for a PHEV. The study is spilt into three sections. The first part presents the framework by which the predictive element can be included into the PHEV's energy management strategy. Second part describes the development of the PHEV component models and the various energy management strategies which control the split in energy used between the engine and the battery. In this section a new control strategy is presented which integrates the predictive element proposed in the first part. Finally, in the third section an optimisation framework is presented by which the size of the components within the PHEV are reduced due to the lower energy demands of the new proposed energy management strategy. The first part of the study presents a framework by which the energy consumption of a vehicle may be predicted over a route. The proposed energy prediction framework employs a neural network and was used o_-line for estimating the real-world energy consumption of the vehicle so that it can be later integrated within the vehicles energy management control system. Experimental results show an accuracy within 20%-30% when comparing predicted and measured energy consumptions for over 800 different real-world EV journeys … [cont.]

A Study on the Integration of a High-Speed Flywheel as an Energy Storage Device in Hybrid Vehicles

The last couple of decades have seen the rise of the hybrid electric vehicle as a compromise between the outstanding specific energy of petrol fuels and its low-cost technology, and the zero tail-gate emissions of the electric vehicle. Despite this, considerable reductions in cost and further increases in fuel economy are needed for their widespread adoption. An alternative low-cost energy storage technology for vehicles is the high-speed flywheel. The flywheel has important limitations that exclude it from being used as a primary energy source for vehicles, but its power characteristics and low-cost materials make it a powerful complement to a vehicle's primary propulsion system. This thesis presents an analysis on the integration of a high-speed flywheel for use as a secondary energy storage device in hybrid vehicles. Unlike other energy storage technologies, the energy content of the flywheel has a direct impact on the velocity of transmission. This presents an important challenge, as it means that the flywheel must be able to rotate at a speed independent of the vehicle's velocity and therefore it must be coupled via a variable speed transmission. This thesis presents some practical ways in which to accomplish this in conventional road vehicles, namely with the use of a variator, a planetary gear set or with the use of a power-split continuously variable transmission. Fundamental analyses on the kinematic behaviour of these transmissions particularly as they pertain to flywheel powertrains are presented. Computer simulations were carried out to compare the performance of various transmissions, and the models developed are presented as well. Finally the thesis also contains an investigation on the driving and road conditions that have the most beneficial effect on hybrid vehicle performance, with a particular emphasis on the effect that the road topography has on fuel economy and the significance of this

On green routing and scheduling problem

The vehicle routing and scheduling problem has been studied with much interest within the last four decades. In this paper, some of the existing literature dealing with routing and scheduling problems with environmental issues is reviewed, and a description is provided of the problems that have been investigated and how they are treated using combinatorial optimization tools