Title: Implementation of a fast non-dominated sorting firefly algorithm and a vehicle simulation model for multi-objective component sizing of a power-split PHEV powertrain: a comparative numerical study

Authors: Ahmad Mozaffari; Mahyar Vajedi; Nasser L. Azad

Addresses: Systems Design Engineering Department, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON N2L 3G1, Canada ' Systems Design Engineering Department, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON N2L 3G1, Canada ' Systems Design Engineering Department, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON N2L 3G1, Canada

Abstract: In the current investigation, the authors take advantage of a well-known emerging swarm intelligence-based metaheuristic method, i.e., firefly algorithm (FA), to cope with a tedious automotive optimisation problem, known as component sizing. As far as the authors are concerned, the presented research can be considered as one of the rare archived reports which substantiate the applicability and efficacy of metaheuristics for the component sizing of power-split plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) powertrains. Here, the authors take one further step and formulate a complex multiobjective optimisation problem to clearly investigate the potentials of metaheuristics. It is worth pointing out that most of the existing classical optimisation approaches are unable to successfully solve a multiobjective component sizing problem, and are often trapped into local minimums and offer local Pareto solutions. Moreover, through a numerical comparative study, the superiority of the proposed fast non-dominated sorting firefly algorithm (FNSFA) over the non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm (NSGA-II) is demonstrated. The outcomes of this research encourage automotive engineers to take advantage of nature-based optimisers, e.g., FNSFA, for component sizing problems.

Keywords: non-dominated sorting firefly algorithm; fast NSFA; FNSFA; power-split powertrains; plug-in hybrid electric vehicles; PHEVs; multiobjective optimisation; vehicle modelling; simulation; multi-objective component sizing; hybrid vehicles; NSGA-II; metaheuristics.

DOI: 10.1504/IJMMNO.2014.065405

International Journal of Mathematical Modelling and Numerical Optimisation, 2014 Vol.5 No.4, pp.318 - 341

Received: 12 Jul 2014
Accepted: 20 Jul 2014
Published online: 31 Oct 2014 *

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