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The Pennsylvania State University Advanced Vehicle Team (PSU AVT) is one of the fifteen (15) participating teams at the EcoCAR 2 “Plugging In to the Future” challenge. The team has worked in the design, development and validation of converting a 2013 Chevrolet Malibu, into an advanced technology hybrid vehicle. The PSU AVT has determined that a Plug-In Series Electric Hybrid architecture best meets the design goals of the EcoCAR 2 competition. The vehicle will utilize a front-wheel drivetrain powered by a Magna E-drive; an Auxiliary Power Unit (APU) based on a naturally aspirated Weber MPE 750 engine, converted for use with E85, coupled to a UQM PowerPhase 75 generator; an Energy Storage System (ESS) based on six A123, 15s3p battery modules; and a Mototron ECM-5554-112-0904 controller as the Master Vehicle Controller (MVC).

Considerable improvements can be obtained in battery performance for hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) by employing an electrochemistry-transport model based on a multi-physics modeling framework and ultrafast numerical algorithms. One important advantage of this approach over the lumped equivalent circuit (or look-up table) approach is the ability of the former to adapt to changes in design and control. In this work, we present mathematical and numerical details of our approach, and demonstrate the robustness of this battery model in simulation of short-pulse charge/discharge characteristic of HEV driving cycles under room and low temperatures.

Two of the goals of the Penn State FutureTruck project were to reduce the emissions of the hybrid electric Ford Explorer to ULEV or lower, and improve the fuel economy by 25% over the stock vehicle. The hybrid electric vehicle system is powered with a 103kW 2.5L Detroit Diesel engine which operates with a fuel blend consisting of ultra-low-sulfur diesel and biodiesel (35%). Lower emissions are inherently achieved by the use of biodiesel. Additionally, the engine was fitted with a series of aftertreatment devices in an effort to achieve the low emissions standards. Vehicle testing has shown a gasoline-equivalent fuel economy improvement of approximately 22%, a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by approximately 38%, and meeting or exceeding stock emissions numbers in all other categories through the use of an advanced catalyst and control strategy.

Two widely available engine and hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) simulation packages have been integrated to reduce fuel consumption and pollutant emissions for a hybrid electric sport utility vehicle. WAVE, a one-dimensional engine analysis tool available from Ricardo Software, was used to model a 2.5L 103 kW Detroit Diesel engine. This model was validated against engine performance and emissions data obtained from testing in a combustion laboratory. ADVISOR, an HEV simulation software developed by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in partnership with the Department of Energy (DOE), was used to model a 2002 Ford Explorer that is being converted into an HEV by the Penn State University FutureTruck team. By integrating the output file from WAVE as the input engine data file for ADVISOR, one can predict the effect of changes in engine parameters on vehicle emissions, fuel consumption, and power requirements for specified drive cycles.