Fuel Minimization and addition of Solar Arrays for Plugin Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEV) with parallel configuration

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Hybrid Electric Vehicles (HEV) include an electric motor, an inverter, a battery pack, and an Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) with its fuel tank. In the Plugin HEV (or PHEV), an on-board battery charger is added with an external connector dock, allowing the user to charge the battery from the 120V or 240V AC outlet. During the last 2 years, a number of PHEVs have entered the consumer market (e.g. Toyota Prius Hybrid Plugin), which feature a short all-EV range (and low battery size) with a long hybrid range. This is an area where research is still necessary. In the hybrid parallel configuration, the electric motor and Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) simultaneously provide the mechanical torque required for the vehicle traction. The ICE and electric motor drive each have a nominal power rating lower than the vehicle total power rating, allowing substantial reduction in the ICE mass and volume. Earlier research done by the applicant has focused on the power-sharing strategies to be implemented on such parallel PHEV with a given ICE rating of the total vehicle nominal power. The research has shown that the power-sharing strategy to be implemented for minimum fuel consumption should target progressive battery depletion with the minimum battery State of Charge obtained only at the end of the trip. The optimal transition between All-EV operation and ICE-EV operation was found to be definable by a torque threshold T_lim, which is a function of the electric motor rotational speed, but also dependent upon the driving cycle, the trip length and the battery initial state of charge. This strategy is different from the conventional rule-based strategy, which forces a complete battery depletion before entering a charge sustaining mode. ***In this proposal, we will examine how the fuel consumption minimization strategy with torque threshold implementation is affected by varying the electric motor drive power nominal rating in the parallel configuration and, inversely, how the torque threshold strategy developed will affect the ratio of electric motor power over vehicle power rating for minimum drivetrain mass. Secondly, we will investigate the effect of solar panels on PHEV rooftops, how a homogenous incoming solar power will affect the power sharing strategy to be implemented for minimum fuel consumption and the potential of the overall incoming solar radiation to reduce fuel consumption even more. Thirdly, we will investigate the effect of fluctuating shading on various part of the solar panels laid out on a vehicle, given that the vehicle location in an urban environment with trees and buildings may lead to partly shaded conditions. For the condition where all photovoltaic cells are connected in one series, a shade spot on only one cell will lead to a global degradation of the energy throughput. Islanding of PV arrays and its effect will be considered here. **