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A special issue of Applied Sciences (ISSN 2076-3417). This special issue belongs to the section "Mechanical Engineering".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (7 January 2023) | Viewed by 20486

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Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Marco Cammalleri

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Guest Editor

Department of Engineering, University of Palermo, Viale delle Scienze, 90128 Palermo, Italy
Interests: hybrid vehicle powertrain; power-split transmission; CVT’s; planetary gearing; planar mechanisms; mechanical vibrations; energy management strategy
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Dr. Vincenzo Di Dio

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Guest Editor

Department of Engineering, University of Palermo, viale delle scienze - edificio 9, 90128 Palermo, Italy
Interests: modeling, design and control of power converters; power converters for renewable energy sources; mathematical models of electrical machines, drives, control and diagnostics
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Dr. Antonella Castellano

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Guest Editor

Department of Engineering, University of Palermo, Viale delle Scienze, 90128 Palermo, Italy
Interests: power-split transmission system; hybrid electric vehicles powertrain

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The ongoing aggravation of the environmental issue requires us to urgently move toward alternative powertrains in ground vehicles. In this respect, hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) emerge as the main sustainable solution to increasingly adopt in the very near future. Indeed, the synergy between the internal combustion engine and the electric unit enables a significant reduction of both fuel consumption and emissions, while maintaining high vehicle performance and driving comfort.

Nonetheless, a wide variety of hybrid electric powertrains is currently available on the market, ranging from several driveline architectures (series, parallel, and power-split hybrid) and degrees of electrification (mild, full, and plug-in hybrid). Moreover, the internal combustion engine can be supported for vehicle propulsion by other power sources rather than the electric unit—for example, by a hydraulic system. Furthermore, the transmission systems deployed to interface the different sources and propel the vehicle often differ from the traditional ones; thus, proper mathematical tools are needed.

This Special Issue aims to gather original contributions on hybrid vehicle powertrains, as well as exhaustive overviews on the state of the art, including recent advances in this field. In particular, researchers are encouraged to propose innovative hybrid technologies, enhancements of the energy storage system (i.e., battery in HEVs) and of the related battery management system, efficiency-oriented control strategies for electric machines, and novel mathematical models for comprehensively addressing hybrid powertrains. In this regard, studies on the optimization of multimode power-split transmissions will be particularly appreciated, being the most promising transmission system owing to its great versatility. Lastly, providing experimental results on hybrid vehicles emissions, fuel-saving, and performance would be a major contribution to our scientific community.

Prof. Dr. Marco Cammalleri
Prof. Dr. Vincenzo Di Dio
Dr. Antonella Castellano
Guest Editors

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Keywords

hybrid vehicle powertrain
hybrid electric vehicle
alternative propulsion system
emissions reduction
power-split hybrid
multimode transmission

Published Papers (10 papers)

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Editorial

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3 pages, 190 KiB

Open AccessEditorial

Special Issue on Frontiers in Hybrid Vehicles Powertrain

by Marco Cammalleri, Vincenzo Di Dio and Antonella Castellano

Appl. Sci. 2023, 13(11), 6367; https://doi.org/10.3390/app13116367 - 23 May 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 663

Abstract

The urgent need to reduce greenhouse gases and toxic emissions is fostering a rapid shift towards more sustainable transport [...] Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Frontiers in Hybrid Vehicles Powertrain)

Research

Jump to: Editorial

18 pages, 8612 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Torque Allocation of Hybrid Electric Trucks for Drivability and Transient Emissions Reduction

by Luca Dimauro, Antonio Tota, Enrico Galvagno and Mauro Velardocchia

Appl. Sci. 2023, 13(6), 3704; https://doi.org/10.3390/app13063704 - 14 Mar 2023

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1203

Abstract

This paper aims at investigating powertrain behaviour, especially in transient dynamic responses, using a nonlinear truck vehicle dynamic model with a parallel hybrid configuration. A power split control was designed to achieve the desired drivability performance, with a focus on NOx emissions. The controller was characterized by high-level model-based logic used to elaborate the total powertrain torque required, and a low-level allocation strategy for splitting power between the engine and the electric motor. The final task was to enhance vehicle drivability based on driver requests, with the goal of reducing—in a hybrid configuration—transient diesel engine emissions when compared to a conventional pure thermal engine powertrain. Different parameters were investigated for the assessment of powertrain performance, in terms of external input disturbance rejection and NOx emissions reduction. The investigation of torque allocation performance was limited to the simulation of a Tip-in manoeuvre, which showed a satisfying trade-off between vehicle drivability and transient emissions. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Frontiers in Hybrid Vehicles Powertrain)

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18 pages, 6873 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Predictive Energy Management Strategy for Hybrid Electric Air-Ground Vehicle Considering Battery Thermal Dynamics

by Zhe Li, Xiaohong Jiao, Mingjun Zha, Chao Yang and Liuquan Yang

Appl. Sci. 2023, 13(5), 3032; https://doi.org/10.3390/app13053032 - 27 Feb 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1334

Abstract

Hybrid electric air-ground vehicles (HEAGVs), which can run on the land and fly in the air, are considered a promising future transportation. The operation of HEAGVs, accompanied by high energy consumption, could lead to increasing battery temperature, which may affect the lifespan of the battery. To make the battery last longer and improve energy efficiency, an effective energy management strategy (EMS) is necessary for the operation of HEAGVs. In this regard, this paper proposes a predictive EMS based on model predictive control (MPC). Firstly, speed information is obtained by intelligent network technology to achieve a prediction of power demand, and then the state of charge (SOC) reference trajectory is planned. Secondly, a Pontryagin’s minimum principle-based model predictive control (PMP-MPC) framework is proposed, including battery thermal dynamics. Under the framework, fuel efficiency is improved by reducing the temperature of the battery. Finally, the proposed method is compared to PMP, dynamic programming (DP), and rule-based (RB) methods. The effect of different preview horizon sizes on fuel economy and battery temperature is analyzed. Verification results under two driving cycles indicate that compared with the rule-based method, the proposed method improves fuel economy by 5.14% and 5.2% and decreases the temperature by 5.9% and 4.9%, respectively. The results demonstrate that the proposed PMP-MPC method can effectively improve fuel economy and reduce temperature. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Frontiers in Hybrid Vehicles Powertrain)

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13 pages, 3622 KiB

Open AccessArticle

On the Use of a Hydrogen-Fueled Engine in a Hybrid Electric Vehicle

by Stefano Beccari

Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(24), 12749; https://doi.org/10.3390/app122412749 - 12 Dec 2022

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1455

Abstract

Hybrid electric vehicles are currently one of the most effective ways to increase the efficiency and reduce the pollutant emissions of internal combustion engines. Green hydrogen, produced with renewable energies, is an excellent alternative to fossil fuels in order to drastically reduce engine pollutant emissions. In this work, the author proposes the implementation of a hydrogen-fueled engine in a hybrid vehicle; the investigated hybrid powertrain is the power-split type in which the engine, two electric motor/generators and the drive shaft are coupled together by a planetary gear set; this arrangement allows the engine to operate independently from the wheels and, thus, to exploit the best efficiency operating points. A set of numeric simulations were performed in order to compare the gasoline-fueled engine with the hydrogen-fueled one in terms of the thermal efficiency and total energy consumed during a driving cycle. The simulation results show a mean engine efficiency increase of around 17% when fueled with hydrogen with respect to gasoline and an energy consumption reduction of around 15% in a driving cycle. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Frontiers in Hybrid Vehicles Powertrain)

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14 pages, 2399 KiB

Open AccessArticle

CO₂ Emission Analysis for Different Types of Electric Vehicles When Charged from Floating Solar Photovoltaic Systems

by Abinands Ramshanker, Suprava Chakraborty, Devaraj Elangovan, Hossam Kotb, Kareem M. Aboras, Nimay Chandra Giri and Ephraim Bonah Agyekum

Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(24), 12552; https://doi.org/10.3390/app122412552 - 07 Dec 2022

Cited by 10 | Viewed by 2354

Abstract

Renewable energy and electric vehicle technology are the two pillars for achieving a sustainable future. Floating solar power plants use PV modules on water infrastructure to save the land and increase module efficiency. Furthermore, the reduction in evaporation saves water. Electric vehicles are one of the fastest-growing markets and the most successful technologies to combat the problem of energy and climate change. This research aims to construct a floating PV system on the lake of the Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT), to analyze electric vehicle performance and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions when charged using the installed floating PV system. To address this, a 1.5 MWP floating PV system was simulated and analyzed using Helioscope software. When charged from the proposed floating PV plant, electric bikes, scooters, and cars saved CO₂ emissions. When charged from a floating PV, E-bike, E-scooter, and E-car Net CO₂ emissions became zero in 25.5, 12.1, and 7.7 months, respectively. After the aforementioned time periods, all three electric vehicle types were zero-emission vehicles. The required charge for all three types of vehicles (1,000,000 km) was analyzed using a floating PV system. E-bike, E-scooter, and E-car CO₂ emission savings were −8,516,000 g/kWh, −328,000 g/kWh, and 525,600,000 g/kWh, respectively. All three types of electric vehicles can reduce CO₂ emissions for nations that rely on renewable energy, but only electric cars save carbon emissions over fixed distances. Through this research, we finally conclude that electric cars reduce CO₂ emissions the most compared to other electric vehicles. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Frontiers in Hybrid Vehicles Powertrain)

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19 pages, 945 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Numerical Performance Investigation of a Hybrid eCVT Specialized Agricultural Tractor

by Francesco Mocera and Valerio Martini

Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(5), 2438; https://doi.org/10.3390/app12052438 - 25 Feb 2022

Cited by 14 | Viewed by 2576

Abstract

The need for highly efficient agricultural machineries is increasing the interest of the research community and of industrial manufacturers towards the use of integrated electric systems in combination with traditional powertrain elements. In this work, a hybrid electric tractor with electric continuously variable transmission (eCVT) capabilities was studied to investigate their performance in comparison with that of traditional diesel-powered tractor designs. This hybrid electric configuration can be classified as a power-split architecture that aims to combine the best characteristics of both the simpler parallel and the series hybrid layout while minimizing their main drawbacks. An eCVT configuration can allow for optimizing the diesel operating point with respect to the current working conditions, and achieving peak power performance and energy saving with relatively small electric machines. The proposed hybrid eCVT (HeCVT) tractor architecture was studied using a numerical model that allowed for developing two different control strategies: a charge depleting mode enabling the driver to use full power for the most power-intensive scenarios and a charge sustaining mode developed to optimize efficiency and battery use along an entire work day. To test the proposed architecture, several tasks derived from experimental field measurements on a specialized agricultural tractor were used. HeCVT results were compared with a numerical model of the traditional tractor validated by these experimental data. The HeCVT tractor showed good performance in terms of peak power capabilities using a downsized diesel engine, and consistent fuel savings were obtained according to typical daily working scenarios. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Frontiers in Hybrid Vehicles Powertrain)

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12 pages, 3488 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperArticle

Performance Evaluation of a Compound Power-Split CVT for Hybrid Powertrains

by Giacomo Mantriota, Giulio Reina and Angelo Ugenti

Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(18), 8749; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11188749 - 20 Sep 2021

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2243

Abstract

The Power-Split Continuously Variable Transmission is one of the most promising architectures for Hybrid Electric Vehicles. These systems have been introduced to improve vehicle global efficiency since they can maximize the efficiency in varying operating conditions. During the design stage, the availability of modeling tools would play a key role in achieving optimal design and control of these architectures. In this work, a compound power split device that combines an electric Continuously Variable Transmission with two planetary gear trains is analyzed. A comprehensive model is derived that allows the different power flow configurations to be evaluated given the properties of the single subcomponents of the system. The efficiency of the powertrain can be derived as well, and a numerical example is provided. The architecture studied has an efficiency that can be higher than that obtained using one single eCVT for most of the global transmission ratio range, showing that this solution could be suitable as a part of a more complex compound transmission that engages in a specific speed range. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Frontiers in Hybrid Vehicles Powertrain)

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23 pages, 4058 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperArticle

Battery High Temperature Sensitive Optimization-Based Calibration of Energy and Thermal Management for a Parallel-through-the-Road Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle

by Pier Giuseppe Anselma, Marco Del Prete and Giovanni Belingardi

Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(18), 8593; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11188593 - 16 Sep 2021

Cited by 9 | Viewed by 2334

Abstract

Preserving high-voltage battery pack lifetime represents a key issue in hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs). Temperature has remarkably major impacts on battery lifetime and implementing HEV thermal and energy management approaches to enhance fuel economy while preserving battery lifetime at various temperatures still represents an open challenge. This paper introduces an optimization driven methodology to tune the parameters of thermal and energy on-board rule-based control approaches of a parallel through-the-road plug-in HEV. Particle swarm optimization is implemented to this end and the calibration objective involves minimizing HEV operative costs concerning energy consumption and battery degradation over the entire vehicle lifetime for various ambient temperatures, driving conditions, payload conditions, and cabin conditioning system states. Numerical models are implemented that can estimate the evolution over time of the state of charge, state of health, and temperature of HEV high-voltage battery packs. Obtained results suggest that the calibrated thermal and energy management strategy tends to reduce pure electric operation as the ambient temperature progressively increases beyond 30 °C. The consequent longer internal combustion engine operation entails a gradual increase in the overall vehicle energy demand. At a 36 °C ambient temperature, the HEV consumes 2.3 times more energy compared with the 15 °C reference value. Moreover, activating the cabin conditioning system seems beneficial for overall plug-in HEV energy consumption at high ambient temperatures. The presented methodology can contribute to easing and accelerating the development process for energy and thermal management systems of HEVs. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Frontiers in Hybrid Vehicles Powertrain)

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18 pages, 10520 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Power Losses Minimization for Optimal Operating Maps in Power-Split HEVs: A Case Study on the Chevrolet Volt

by Antonella Castellano and Marco Cammalleri

Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(17), 7779; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11177779 - 24 Aug 2021

Cited by 10 | Viewed by 1712

Abstract

The power-split architecture is the most promising hybrid electric powertrain. However, a real advantage in energy saving while maintaining high performance can be achieved only by the implementation of a proper energy management strategy. This requires an optimized functional design before and a comprehensive analysis of the powertrain losses after, which could be rather challenging owing to the constructive complexity of the power-split transmission, especially for multi-mode architecture with multiple planetary gearing. This difficulty was overcome by a dimensionless model, already available in the literature, that enables the analysis of any power-split transmission, even in full electric operation. This paper relies on this approach to find the operating points of the internal combustion engine and both electric machines which minimize the total power losses. This optimization is carried out for given vehicle speed and demanded torque, by supposing different scenarios in respect of the battery capability of providing or gathering power. The efficiency of the thermal engine and the electric machines is considered, as well as the transmission mechanical power losses. The aim is to provide a global efficiency map that can be exploited to extract data for the implementation of the most suitable real-time control strategy. As a case study, the procedure is applied to the multi-mode power-split system of the Chevrolet Volt. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Frontiers in Hybrid Vehicles Powertrain)

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12 pages, 2077 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperArticle

Power-Flow and Mechanical Efficiency Computation in Two-Degrees-of-Freedom Planetary Gear Units: New Compact Formulas

by Essam Lauibi Esmail, Ettore Pennestrì and Marco Cirelli

Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(13), 5991; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11135991 - 28 Jun 2021

Cited by 11 | Viewed by 2490

Abstract

The mechanical efficiency is a computed value for comparing the performance of the multi degrees-of-freedom geared transmissions of hybrid vehicles. Most of the current methods for estimating gear trains mechanical efficiency require the decomposition of gear transmissions in basic structural elements or planetary gear units (PGU). These are two degrees-of-freedom components whose mechanical efficiency has a deep influence on the overall device. The authors (E.L.E., E.P.) already evidenced that, under certain kinematic conditions, the classic Radzimovsky’s formulas, widely accepted for computing the mechanical efficiency of PGUs, are not adequate. In this paper, more general and reliable formulas for computing the mechanical efficiency are deduced. The proposed formulas herein, exploiting the concept of potential or virtual power, evidence the dependency between kinematics and efficiency. A numerical example compares our results with previous work on the subject. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Frontiers in Hybrid Vehicles Powertrain)

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