Search Results

Argonne National Laboratory (Argonne) and Idaho National Laboratory (INL), working with the FreedomCAR and Fuels Partnership, lead activities in vehicle dynamometer and fleet testing as well as in modeling activities. By using Argonne’s Advanced Powertrain Research Facility (APRF), the General Motors (GM) Tahoe 2-mode was instrumented and tested in the 4-wheel-drive test facility. Measurements included both sensors and controller area network (CAN) messages. In this paper, we describe the vehicle instrumentation as well as the test results. On the basis of the analysis performed, we discuss the vehicle model developed in Argonne’s vehicle simulation tool, the Powertrain System Analysis Toolkit (PSAT), and its comparison with test data. Finally, on-road vehicle data, performed by INL, is discussed and compared with the dynamometer results.

Fuel cell vehicles are the subject of extensive research and development because of their potential for high efficiency and low emissions. Because fuel cell vehicles remain expensive and the demand for hydrogen is therefore limited, very few fueling stations are being built. To try to accelerate the development of a hydrogen economy, some original equipment manufacturers (OEM) in the automotive industry have been working on a hydrogen-fueled internal combustion engine (ICE) as an intermediate step. Despite its lower cost, the hydrogen-fueled ICE offers, for a similar amount of onboard hydrogen, a lower driving range because of its lower efficiency. This paper compares the fuel economy potential of hydrogen-fueled vehicles to their conventional gasoline counterparts. To take uncertainties into account, the current and future status of both technologies were considered.

With the success of hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) and the still uncertain long-term solution for vehicle transportation, Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEV) appear to be a viable short-term solution and are of increasing interest to car manufacturers. Like HEVs, PHEVs offer two power sources that are able to independently propel the vehicle. They also offer additional electrical energy onboard. In addition to choices about the size of components for PHEVs, choices about powertrain configuration must be made. In this paper, we consider three potential architectures for PHEVs for 10- and 40-mi All Electric Range (AER) and define the components and their respective sizes to meet the same set of performance requirements. The vehicle and component efficiencies in electric-only and charge-sustaining modes will be assessed.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has invested considerable research and development (R&D) effort into Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV) technology because of the potential fuel displacement offered by the technology. DOE's PHEV R&D Plan [1], which is driven by the desire to reduce dependence on foreign oil by diversifying the fuel sources of automobiles, describes the various activities required to achieve the goals. The U.S. DOE will use Argonne's Powertrain Systems Analysis Toolkit (PSAT) to guide its analysis activities, stating, “Argonne's Powertrain Systems Analysis Toolkit (PSAT) will be used to design and evaluate a series of PHEVs with various ‘primary electric’ ranges, considering all-electric and charge-depleting strategies.” PSAT was used to simulate three possible charge-depleting (CD) PHEV control strategies for a power split hybrid. Trip distance was factored into the CD strategies before the cycle was started.

A fuel-cycle model-called the Greenhouse gases, Regulated Emissions, and Energy use in Transportation (GREET) model-has been developed at Argonne National Laboratory to evaluate well-to-wheels (WTW) energy and emission impacts of motor vehicle technologies fueled with various transportation fuels. The new GREET version has up-to-date information regarding energy use and emissions for fuel production activities and vehicle operations. In this study, a complete WTW evaluation targeting energy use, greenhouse gases (CO2, CH4, and N2O), and typical criteria air pollutants (VOC, NOX, and PM10) includes the following fuel options-gasoline, diesel, and hydrogen; and the following vehicle technologies-spark-ignition engines with or without hybrid configurations, compression-ignition engines with hybrid configurations, and hydrogen fuel cells with hybrid configurations.

Argonne National Laboratory (ANL), working with the Partnership for a New Generation of Vehicles (PNGV), maintains hybrid vehicle simulation software: the PNGV System Analysis Toolkit (PSAT). The importance of component models and the complexity involved in setting up optimized control strategies require validation of the models and controls developed in PSAT. Using ANL's Advanced Powertrain Test Facilities (APTF), more than 50 tests on the Honda Insight were used to validate the PSAT drivetrain configuration. Extensive instrumentation, including the half-shaft torque sensor, provides the data needed for through comparison of model results and test data. In this paper, we will first describe the process and the type of test used to validate the models. Then we will explain the tuning of the simulated vehicle control strategy, based on the analysis of the differences between test and simulation.

Argonne National Laboratory (ANL), working with the Partnership for a New Generation of Vehicles (PNGV), maintains hybrid vehicle simulation software, the PNGV System Analysis Toolkit (PSAT). PSAT, originally proprietary, has been used by both DOE and the “Big Three” as a modeling tool. The number of PSAT users has increased recently because 15 universities participating in the 2001 FutureTruck competition were given the software for their use. PSAT allows companies to look at new types of vehicles (hybrids) and choose the best configuration according to customer expectations within a minimum of time. PSAT, a forward-looking model, allows the user to simulate a large number of different configurations (conventional, series, parallel, and power split). PSAT is well suited for development of control strategies; by using accurate dynamics component models as its code, PSAT can be implemented directly and tested at the bench scale or in a vehicle.

This paper describes the integration of a Modal Energy and Emissions Model (MEEM) into a hybrid-electric vehicle simulation model, the PNGV System Analytic Toolkits (PSAT). PSAT is a forward-looking computer simulation model for advanced-technology vehicles. MEEM is a vehicle fuel-consumption and emissions model developed by one of the authors for internal-combustion-engine (ICE) -powered vehicles. MEEM engine simulation module uses a power-demand physical model based on a parameterized analytical representation of engine fuel and emissions production. One major advantage of MEEM is that it does not rely on steady-state engine maps, which are usually not available for most production vehicles; rather, it depends on a list of engine parameters that are calibrated based on regular vehicle dynamometer testing. The integrated PSAT-MEEM model can be used effectively to predict fuel consumption and emissions of various ICE-powered vehicles with both conventional and hybrid power trains.