Title: Optimisation of the energy efficiency of a hybrid vehicle powertrain

Authors: Mourad Ali Salah; Naceur Benhadj Braiek

Addresses: Advanced Systems Laboratory, Ecole Polytechnique de Tunisie, University of Carthage, BP743 – 2078 La Marsa, Tunisia; National School of Engineers of Tunis, University of Tunis Elmanar, Tunisia ' Advanced Systems Laboratory, Ecole Polytechnique de Tunisie, University of Carthage, BP743 – 2078 La Marsa, Tunisia

Abstract: To minimise fuel consumption, automakers are committed to developing new architectures for more efficient engine powertrain systems. The substitution of conventional thermal engine by a hybrid powertrain provides an additional degree of freedom for the energy flow management between an electrical branch and a thermal branch to consume less fuel. Parallel architecture offers the best compromise between design simplicity and energy efficiency, with respect to other architectures as serial and mixed architectures. In this context, this work deals with energy modelling of a parallel powertrain architecture and fuel optimisation independently of the vehicle path. For this purpose, two energy models that express the instantaneous overall efficiency of the vehicle powertrain are designed, and a fuel optimisation algorithm is developed. Numerical simulation shows the significant energy saving offered by the hybrid vehicle provided with the proposed fuel management law, compared to the internal combustion engine of a conventional vehicle.

Keywords: parallel hybrid vehicle; powertrain systems; instantaneous overall efficiency model; fuel optimisation independently of the vehicle path; energy flow optimisation; numerical simulation; energy saving offered by hybrid vehicle.

DOI: 10.1504/IJVP.2021.116063

International Journal of Vehicle Performance, 2021 Vol.7 No.3/4, pp.341 - 363

Received: 19 Feb 2020
Accepted: 19 Sep 2020
Published online: 07 Jul 2021 *

Full-text access for editors Full-text access for subscribers Purchase this article Comment on this article