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Strong dependency on crude oil in most areas of modern transportation needs lead into a significant consumption of petroleum resources over many decades. In order to maximize the effective use of remaining resources, various types of powertrain topologies, such as hybrid configurations among fuel cell, electric battery as well as conventional IC engine, have been proposed and tested out for number of vehicle classes including a personal commuting vehicle. In this paper the vehicle parameters are based on a typical commercial sub-compact vehicle (FIAT Panda) and energy needs are estimated on the sized powertrain. The main control approach is divided in two categories: off-line global optimization with dynamic programming (DP, not implementable in real time), and on-line Proportional and Feed-Forward with PI controllers. The proposed control approaches are developed both for charge-sustaining and charge-depleting mode and sample results are shown and compared.

The simulation and evaluation of land vehicle performance requires accurate representations of driving conditions. Currently, many driving cycles have been developed and used in the determination of vehicle fuel economy and emission performance. These driving cycles are typically defined as vehicle speed and power trajectories over time. However, most of the standard driving cycles are short in duration and distance and inadequate in representing a wide range of actual driving conditions. There are also many specialized driving cycles designed for specific types of vehicles, but these are often not applicable to more than a specific class of vehicles. Moreover, more detailed driving schedules are often kept as proprietary information within the vehicle manufacturers.

This paper presents a general formulation of the instantaneous power split between a fuel cell and an electrical accumulator in a charge-sustaining fuel cell hybrid vehicle. The approach proposed in this paper is based on the ECMS (Equivalent Consumption Minimization Strategy) control strategy previously developed for parallel hybrid vehicle applications suitable for real time application and allowing the overall minimization of hydrogen consumption while meeting the driver demand. This control strategy has been applied to a representative hybrid PEM (Proton Exchange Membrane) fuel cell mid-size vehicle. Using a Hybrid Fuel Cell vehicle simulator, the vehicle performance and energy requirements are estimated. The results provided by the ECMS control strategy approach are also compared to a more basic approach.

This year, in the third year of FutureTruck competition, the Ohio State University team has taken the challenge to convert a 2002 Ford Explorer into a more fuel efficient and environmentally friendly SUV. This goal was achieved by use of a post-transmission, charge sustaining, parallel hybrid diesel-electric drivetrain. The main power source is a 2.5-liter, 103 kW advanced CIDI engine manufactured by VM Motori. A 55 kW Ecostar AC induction electric motor provides the supplemental power. The powertrain is managed by a state of the art supervisory control system which optimizes powertrain characteristics using advanced energy management and emission control algorithms. A unique driver interface implementing advanced telematics, and an interior designed specifically to reduce weight and be more environmentally friendly add to the utility of the vehicle as well as the consumer appeal.

Experimental results are presented for a technique of converting Diesel fuel to a gas stream rich in carbon monoxide and hydrogen suitable for Lean NOx Trap (LNT) regeneration. The device is relatively simple and relies upon a premixed, rich flame to generate gas with 4.5% H2 and 10% CO. The device, referred to as a flame reformer, offers a number of advantages over other methods of reductant generation for bypass regeneration LNT systems. Specifically, the device offers rapid dynamic response, potential lower cost, with a similar level of performance to other proposed methods of reductant generation.

In this paper, the detection and isolation of actuator faults (both measured and commanded) occurring in the engine breathing and the fueling systems of a spark-ignition direct-injection (SIDI) engine are described. The breathing system in an SIDI engine usually consists of a fresh air induction path via an electronically controlled throttle (ECT) and an exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) path via an EGR valve. They are dynamically coupled through the intake manifold to form a gas mixture, which eventually enters the engine cylinders for a subsequent combustion process. Meanwhile, the fueling system is equipped with a high-pressure common-rail injection for a precise control of the fuel quantity directly injected into the engine cylinders. Since the coupled system is highly nonlinear in nature, the fault diagnosis will be performed by generating residuals based on multiple nonlinear observers.

The aim of this paper is to describe a unified approach to modeling the energy efficiency and power flow characteristics of energy storage and energy conversion elements used in hybrid vehicles. Hybrid vehicle analysis and design is concerned with the storage of energy in three domains - chemical, mechanical, and electrical - and on energy conversions between these domains. The paper presents the physical and mathematical basis of this modeling approach, as well as a modular simulator that embodies the same basic principles. The use of the simulator as an analysis tool is demonstrated through the conceptual design of a sport-utility hybrid drivetrain.