Modeling and Control of New Multi-Mode Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle

Fuel economy and emission standards for internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles lead to emergence of hybrid powertrain mechanisms. Hybrid powertrains can enable significant fuel economy improvements without sacrificing vehicle performance or utility. This requires optimization of engine operation, regenerative braking, and use of a wide range of possible combinations of engine and battery usage. The multi-mode hybrid powertrain in this paper combines many options to meet a complex driving requirement while maintaining the desired fuel economy. In this paper, a systematic design methodology is used to design a full-size hybrid vehicle with multiple components. This involves the modeling, simulation and development of optimal energy management strategy. This vehicle (full size car) has dual battery, dual fuel V6 engine with cylinder deactivation and bi-directional power flow in and from dual motor/generator. The design includes multiple gearboxes to connect these pieces. The vehicle model allows many degrees of freedom including various modes of operation depending upon the combination of degree of driver involvement, vehicle power requirement and optimized fuel economy resulting in automatic switching between modes. This model is tested for different Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) driving cycles. By integrating all components of this hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) and the highly coordinated energy management control system that performs optimum blending of torque, speed, and power from multiple power sources, the benefit from this hybridization is maximized.