Framework Development of Series Hybrid Powertrain Design for Heavy-Duty Vehicle Considering Driving Conditions

Hybrid electric vehicles have different performance depending on power distribution and energy management. For heavy-duty vehicles, in particular, these differences will be more pronounced. This paper presents a hybrid powertrain design framework for a heavy-duty multi-purpose vehicle assuming driving conditions. A diesel-powered conventional vehicle was adopted for the hybridization target, and a series hybrid system was suggested as a suitable hybridization topology with an in-wheel motor (IWM) system. The introduced framework supplied the adequate power distribution and the IWM specification based on the speculated drive cycle and a simple energy management strategy. In particular, the reduction ratio of IWM was determined to minimize the gross mass of the motor and reduction gear. The hybridization reduced the vehicle weight by 213 kg while increasing the peak power by 53 kW. Finally, the vehicle simulation was performed using the advanced vehicle simulator for the design result from the proposed framework. The acceleration performance and gradeability limits were improved by 18% and 10%, respectively, compared to the conventional vehicle. In addition, the gasoline equivalent fuel economy of the series hybrid powertrain was 53% higher than conventional diesel powertrain for the target drive cycle.