Simulation of Energy Conversion in Advanced Automotive Vehicles 2001-01-3341

Propulsion systems for future advanced automotive vehicles have to be optimised for maximum fuel conversion efficiency. In such a case, hybrid electric propulsion system seems to be most useful, due to the following facts:

Hybrid Electric Vehicle (HEV) has energy storage (secondary energy source) which allows decreasing required peak value of power from the prime mover, that is the Internal Combustion Engine (ICE);

• energy boosting allows to decrease ICE's or Fuel Cells' (FC) size and mass considerably;
• because of the limited range of ICE operation area, maximum fuel conversion efficiency can be achieved after optimization; emissions can be reduced - ICE never idles;
• application of a direct electromechanical drive with the DC/AC commutator motor or the motorized and generatorized wheels (M&GW) enables an advanced automotive vehicle to ride with regenerative braking.

Continuous progress in the domain of energy storage development (e.g. storage battery (SB), different kinds of fuel cells, such as Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) or Solid-Oxide Fuel Cell (SOFC), flywheels) allows for significant automotive vehicle mass decrease and, as a consequence, for required propulsion energy saving. Advanced concepts with the M&GWs and X-By-Wire (XBW) mechatronical system lead to achievement of an automotive vehicle with no propeller shafts and/or axles, no rack&pinion gears and no transmission gears. In this paper, the simulation methodology and mathematical modelling results of different kinds of energy conversion for advanced automotive vehicles are presented. Simulation models are oriented on the best compromise between energy conversion efficiency and minimum of emissions. Simulation tools and physical models presented in the paper are based on Matlab/Simulink/Advisor software environment.