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Vehicle stiffness is one of the three major factors in vehicle to vehicle compatibility in a frontal crash; the other two factors are vehicle mass and frontal geometry. Vehicle to vehicle compatibility in turn is an increasingly important topic due to the rapid change in the size and characteristics of the automotive fleet, particularly the increase of the percentage of trucks and SUVs. Due to the non-linear nature of the mechanics of vehicle structure, frontal stiffness is not a properly defined metric. This research is aimed at developing a well defined method to quantify frontal stiffness for vehicle-to-vehicle crash compatibility. The method to be developed should predict crash outcome and controlling the defined metric should improve the crash outcome. The criterion that is used to judge the aggressivity of a vehicle in this method is the amount of deformation caused to the vulnerable vehicles when crashed with the subject vehicle.

It is a time and cost consuming way to physically develop Hybrid Electric Vehicle (HEV) supervisor controller due to the increasing complexity of powertrain system. This study aims to investigate the HEV supervisor controller development process using dSPACE midsize Hardware in the Loop simulation system (HIL) for HEV powertrain control. The prototyping controller was developed on basis of MircoAutoBox II, and an HIL test bench was built on midsize HIL machine for the purpose of verification. The feasibility and capability of HIL were attested by the prototyping control strategy and fault modes simulation. The proposed approach was demonstrated its effectiveness and applicability to HEV supervisor controller development.

Hybrid Electric vehicles (HEVs) and Fuel Cell vehicles (FCVs) are showing promise of success as a commercial product as they are being developed by the industry. It is only prudent to closely consider safety issues for both post-crash and failure (non-crash) scenarios. A review of most relevant technologies being considered for HEVs was performed to identify potential hazard conditions and interactions between systems and sub-systems within these vehicles. Energy storage, propulsion systems and fuel storage were examined for different configurations of such vehicles. It is anticipated that plastics, composites and other nonconductive materials will be used more widely in future cars. This can result in an increased propensity to generate substantial static charge levels. Furthermore, the presence of high-voltage and high-current lines, batteries, electric motors and other components not present in conventional vehicles with alternative fuels or hydrogen justifies this examination.