Design of Electric
and Hybrid Electric
Vehicles
Series Hybrid Electric Drive Train Design: Operating patterns, control
strategies, Sizing of major components, power rating of traction motor,
power rating of engine/generator, design of PPS
Parallel Hybrid Electric Drive Train Design: Control strategies of parallel
hybrid drive train, design of engine power capacity, design of electric
motor drive capacity, transmission design, energy storage design.
Series Hybrid Electric Drive
Train Design:
Series Hybrid Electric Drive
Train Design:
• The initial objective of developing a series hybrid electric vehicle (S-HEV)
was aimed at extending the drive range by adding an engine/alternator
system to charge the batteries on-board.
• The vehicle is propelled by a traction motor. The traction motor is
powered by a battery pack and/or an engine/generator unit.
• The engine/generator unit either helps the batteries to power the traction
motor when load power demand is large or charges the batteries when
load power demand is small.
Series Hybrid Electric Drive
Train Design:
• The motor controller is to control the traction motor to produce the
power required by the vehicle. Vehicle performance (acceleration,
gradability, and maximum speed) is completely determined by the size
and characteristics of the traction motor drive.
• However, the drive train control is essentially different from the pure
electric drive train due to the involvement of an additional
engine/generator unit.
• The term "peak power source" will replace "battery pack," because, in
HEVs, the major function of batteries is to supply peaking power. They
can be replaced with other kinds of sources such as ultra-capacitors and
flywheels.
Series Hybrid Electric Drive
Train Design:
• Operation Patterns
Series Hybrid Electric Drive
Train Design:
• The drive train has several operating modes, which can be used
selectively according to the driving condition and desire of the driver.
These operating modes are:
• 1. Hybrid traction mode:
Pdemand= Pefg + Pppv
where Pdemand is the power demanded by the driver, Pefg is the engine/
generator power, and Pppv is the PPS power.
Series Hybrid Electric Drive
Train Design:
• 2. Peak Power Source-Alone Traction Mode:
P demand = P pps
• 3. Engine/Generator-Alone Traction Mode:
P demand = Pefg
• 4. PPS Charging from the Engine/Generator: When the energy in the PPS
decreases to a bottom line, the PPS must be charged. This can be done by
regenerative braking or by the engine/generator.
P demand= Pefg—P pps
It should be noticed that the operation mode is only effective when the power of the
engine/generator is greater than the load power demand.
Series Hybrid Electric Drive
Train Design:
• 5. Regenerative Braking Mode: When the vehicle is braking, the fraction motor
can be used as a generator, converting part of the kinetic energy of the vehicle
mass into electric energy to charge the PPS.
The vehicle controller commands the operation of each component according to the traction
power (torque) command from the driver, the feedback from each of the components, and
also the drive train and the preset control strategy.
The control objectives are to
(1) meet the power demand of the driver,
(2) operate each component with optimal efficiency,
(3) recapture braking energy as much as possible, and
(4) maintain the state-of-charge (SOC) of the PPS in a preset window.
Series Hybrid Electric Drive
Train Design:
• Control Strategies
• A control strategy is a control rule that is preset in the vehicle controller and
commands the operating of each component.
• The vehicle controller receives the operation commands from the driver and
the feedback from the drive train and all the components, and then makes the
decisions to use proper operation modes.
• Obviously, the performance of the drive train relies mainly on the control
quality, in which the control strategy plays a crucial role. In practice, there are a
number of control strategies that can be used in a drive train for vehicles with
different mission requirements.
Series Hybrid Electric Drive
Train Design:
• The two typical control strategies are introduced:
• (1) Maximum state-of-charge of peaking power source (Max. SOC-of-PPS)
• (2) Engine turn-on and turn-off (engine-on—off) control strategies
Series Hybrid Electric Drive
Train Design:
• Max. SOC-of-PPS Control Strategy
The target of this control strategy is to meet the
power demand commanded by the driver and,
at the same time, maintain the SOC of the PPS
at its high level.
This control strategy is considered to be the
proper design for vehicles for which the
performance relies heavily on the peak power
source.
This includes vehicles with frequent stop—go
driving patterns, and military vehicles for
which carrying out their mission is the most
important. A high SOC level will guarantee the
high performance of the vehicles at any time.
Series Hybrid Electric Drive
Train Design:
• Max. SOC-of-PPS Control Strategy
Series Hybrid Electric Drive
Train Design:
• Max. SOC-of-PPS Control Strategy
Series Hybrid Electric Drive
Train Design:
• Thermostat Control Strategy (Engine-On-Off)
• The Max. SOC-of-PPS control strategy emphasizes maintaining the SOC of the
PPS at a high level.
• However, in some driving conditions such as long time driving with a low load
on a highway at constant speed, the PPS can be easily charged to its full level,
and the engine/generator is forced to operate with a power output smaller than
its optimum. Hence, the efficiency of the drive train is reduced.
• In this case, engine-on-off or thermostat control of the engine/generator would
be appropriate.
Series Hybrid Electric Drive
Train Design:
• Thermostat Control Strategy (Engine-On-Off)
The operation of the engine/generator is
completely controlled by the SOC of the PPS.
When the SOC of the PPS reaches its preset top
line, the engine/generator is turned off and the
vehicle is propelled only by the PPS. On the
other hand, when the SOC of the PPS reaches its
bottom line, the engine/generator is turned on.
The PPS gets its charging from the
engine/generator. In this way, the engine can
always be operated within its optimal deficiency
region.
Sizing of the Major Components:
• The major components in a series hybrid drive train include traction motor,
engine/generator, and PPS. The design of the power ratings of these
components is the first and most important step in the whole system design.
In the design of these parameters, some design constraints must be
considered, which include
(1) acceleration performance,
(2) highway driving and urban driving, and
(3) energy balance in the PPS.
Sizing of the Major Components:
1) Power Rating Design of the Traction Motor
• Similar to the pure electric vehicle, the power rating of the electric motor
drive in series HEV is completely determined by vehicle acceleration
performance requirements, motor characteristics, and transmission
characteristics. At the beginning of the design, the power rating of the
motor drive can be estimated, according to the acceleration performance
(time used to accelerate the vehicle from zero speed to a given speed), using
the following equation:
Sizing of the Major Components:
Power Rating Design of the Traction Motor
Figure 6 shows the tractive effort and traction
power vs. vehicle speed with a two-gear
transmission. During acceleration, starting from
low gear, the tractive effort follows the trace of a-b-
d-e and Vb = Vbl. However, when a single-gear
transmission is used, that is, only when a high gear
is available, the tractive effort follows the trace of
c-d-e and Vb=Vb2.
It should be noted that the rated motor power
determined by equation is only an estimate for
meeting the acceleration performance. In order to
accurately determine the rated motor power,
verification would be necessary.
Sizing of the Major Components:
2) Power Rating Design of Engine / Generator
The engine/generator in a series hybrid drive train is used to supply steady-state power in order to prevent the
PPS from being discharged completely. In the design of the engine/generator, two driving Conditions should be
considered: driving for a long time with constant. speed, such as highway driving between cities, and driving with a
frequent stop–go driving pattern, such as driving in cities. With the former driving pattern (long time at a constant speed), the
engine/generator and drive train should not rely on the PPS to support the operation at a high speed of, for example, 130
km/h or 80 mph. The engine/generator should be able to produce sufficient power to support this speed. For a frequent stop–
go driving pattern, the engine/generator should produce sufficient power to maintain the energy storage of the PPS at a
certain level, so that enough power can be drawn to support vehicle acceleration. As mentioned above, the energy
consumption in the PPS is closely related to the control strategy.
Sizing of the Major Components:
3) Design of PPS
The PPS must be capable of delivering sufficient power to the traction motor at any time. At the same time, the
PPS must store sufficient energy to avoid failure of power delivery due to too-deep discharging.
Sizing of the Major Components:
Design of PPS
Parallel Hybrid Electric Drive
Train Design:
Parallel Hybrid Electric Drive
Train Design:
• The engine power rating is lower than the electrical traction power rating.
Due to the better torque–speed characteristics of the traction motor
compared to the engine, the single-gear transmission for the traction
motor might be the proper option.
Control Scheme of Parallel
Hybrid Electric Drive Train :
Control Scheme of Parallel
Hybrid Electric Drive Train :
It consists of a vehicle controller, engine controller, electric motor controller,
and mechanical brake controller. The vehicle controller is in the highest
position. It collects data from the driver and all the components, such as
desired torque, vehicle speed, PPS SOC, engine speed and throttle position,
electric motor speed, etc. Based on these data, component characteristics, and
preset control strategy, the vehicle controller gives its control signals to each
component controller/local controller. Each local controller controls the
operation of the corresponding component to meet the requirements of the
drive train. The vehicle controller plays a central role in the operation of the
drive train. The vehicle controller should fulfill various operation modes —
according to the drive condition and the data collected from components and
the driver’s command — and should give the correct control command to each
component controller. Hence, the preset control strategy is the key to the
optimum success of the operation of the drive train.
Parallel Hybrid Electric Drive
Train Design:
• Control Strategies
• A control strategy is a control rule that is preset in the vehicle controller and
commands the operating of each component.
• The vehicle controller receives the operation commands from the driver and
the feedback from the drive train and all the components, and then makes the
decisions to use proper operation modes.
• Obviously, the performance of the drive train relies mainly on the control
quality, in which the control strategy plays a crucial role. In practice, there are a
number of control strategies that can be used in a drive train for vehicles with
different mission requirements.
Parallel Hybrid Electric Drive
Train Design:
• The two typical control strategies are introduced:
• (1) Maximum state-of-charge of peaking power source (Max. SOC-of-PPS)
• (2) Engine turn-on and turn-off (engine-on—off) control strategies
Parallel Hybrid Electric Drive
Train Design:
• Max. SOC-of-PPS Control Strategy
The target of this control strategy is to meet the power demand commanded by the
driver and, at the same time, maintain the SOC of the PPS at its high level.
This control strategy is considered to be the proper design for vehicles for which the
performance relies heavily on the peak power source.
This includes vehicles with frequent stop—go driving patterns, and military vehicles
for which carrying out their mission is the most important. A high SOC level will
guarantee the high performance of the vehicles at any time.
The maximum control strategy can be explained the figure where the maximum
power curves for hybrid traction (engine plus electric motor), engine-alone traction,
electric motor-alone traction, and regenerative braking are plotted against vehicle
speed. Power demands in different conditions are also plotted, represented by
points A, B, C, and D.
Parallel Hybrid Electric Drive
Train Design:
• Max. SOC-of-PPS Control Strategy
Parallel Hybrid Electric Drive
Train Design:
• Max. SOC-of-PPS Control Strategy
Parallel Hybrid Electric Drive
Train Design:
• Max. SOC-of-PPS Control Strategy
Parallel Hybrid Electric Drive
Train Design:
• Max. SOC-of-PPS Control Strategy
Parallel Hybrid Electric Drive
Train Design:
• Max. SOC-of-PPS Control Strategy
Parallel Hybrid Electric Drive
Train Design:
• Max. SOC-of-PPS Control Strategy
Parallel Hybrid Electric Drive
Train Design:
• Max. SOC-of-PPS Control Strategy
Parallel Hybrid Electric Drive
Train Design:
• Thermostat Control Strategy (Engine-On-Off)
• The Max. SOC-of-PPS control strategy emphasizes maintaining the SOC of the
PPS at a high level.
• However, in some driving conditions such as long time driving with a low load
on a highway at constant speed, the PPS can be easily charged to its full level,
and the engine/generator is forced to operate with a power output smaller than
its optimum. Hence, the efficiency of the drive train is reduced.
• In this case, engine-on-off or thermostat control of the engine/generator would
be appropriate.
Parallel Hybrid Electric Drive
Train Design:
• Thermostat Control Strategy (Engine-On-
Off)
In the engine-on period, the control is Max.
SOC-of-PPS strategy. When the SOC of the
PPS reaches its top line, the engine is turned
off and the vehicle is propelled only by the
electric motor. When the SOC of the PPS
reaches its bottom line, the engine is turned
on and the control again goes into [Link]-
of-PPS.
Sizing of the Major Components:
• The major components in a series hybrid drive train include traction motor,
engine/generator, and PPS. The design of the power ratings of these
components is the first and most important step in the whole system design.
In the design of these parameters, some design constraints must be
considered, which include
(1) acceleration performance,
(2) highway driving and urban driving, and
(3) energy balance in the PPS.
Sizing of the Major Components:
1) Design of Engine Power Capacity
The engine should be able to supply sufficient power to support the vehicle
operation at normal constant speeds both on a flat and a mild grade road
without the help of the PPS. At the same time, the engine should be able to
produce an average power that is larger than the average load power when
the vehicle operates with a stop-and-go operating pattern. As a requirement
of normal highway driving at constant speed on a flat or a mild grade road,
the power needed is expressed as
Sizing of the Major Components:
1) Design of Engine Power Capacity
The engine should be able to supply sufficient power to
support the vehicle operation at normal constant
speeds both on a flat and a mild grade road without the
help of the PPS. At the same time, the engine should be
able to produce an average power that is larger than
the average load power when the vehicle operates with
a stop-and-go operating pattern. As a requirement of
normal highway driving at constant speed on a flat or a
mild grade road, the power needed is expressed as
Sizing of the Major Components:
2) Design of Electric Motor Drive Capacity
In HEV, the major function of the electric motor is to supply peak power to the drive train.
In the motor power design, acceleration performance and peak load power in typical
drive cycles As an initial estimate, one can make the assumption that the steady-state
load (rolling resistance and aerodynamic drag) is handled by the engine and the dynamic
load (inertial load in acceleration) is handled by the motor. With this assumption,
acceleration is directly related to the torque output of an electric motor by
Sizing of the Major Components:
Design of Electric Motor Drive Capacity
Transmission Design:
Since the electric motor supplies the peak power and has high torque at low
speed, single-gear transmission between the electric motor and the driven
wheels can produce sufficient torque for hill climbing and acceleration
Consequently, the vehicle performance (acceleration and gradeability) can
be improved. On the other hand, the energy storage can be charged with the
large power of the engine. The vehicle fuel economy can also be improved,
since the use of proper gears of the multigear transmission allows the engine
to operate closer to its optimal speed region. Furthermore, the large
remaining power of the engine can quickly charge the energy storage from
low SOC to high SOC
Energy Storage Design:
Figure shows the energies drawn from the energy storage and the engine in
the period of acceleration along the vehicle speed for the example passenger
car.
Energy Storage Design:
Energy Storage Design: