Hybrid Powertrain Operation Optimization Considering Cross Attribute Performance Metrics 2017-01-1145

Hybrid electric vehicles are continuously challenged to meet cross attribute performance while minimizing energy usage and component cost in a very competitive automotive market. As electrified vehicles become more mainstream in the marketplace, hybrid customers are expecting more attribute refinement in combination with the enhanced fuel economy benefits. Minimizing fuel consumption, which tends to drive hybrid powertrain engines to operate under lugging type calibrations, traditionally challenge noise, vibration, and harshness (NVH) metrics. Balancing the design space to satisfy the cost metrics, energy efficiency, noise and vibration & drivability under the hybrid engine lugging conditions can be optimized through the use of multiple CAE tools.

This paper describes how achieving NVH metrics can put undesirable boundaries on Powertrain Operation which could affect other performance attributes. Up front modeling of the full hybrid systems combined with powertrain lugging conditions allows the engineering teams to optimize the powertrain hardware designs while minimizing the impact on fuel efficiency, drivability, and NVH.