Thread 5 – Vehicle Design
he objective of this thread is to develop vehicle design, simulation, and cost analysis tools that are applicable to various types of vehicles (passenger cars, trucks, transit buses, etc.) that use fossil based fuels (gasoline, diesel, and CNG), biofuels (biodiesel, ethanol, etc.), hydrogen, and electricity. The tools will then be used to evaluate the different vehicle/fuel combinations in terms of performance, energy use, efficiency, emissions (regulated emissions and greenhouse gases), and cost. The results of the various evaluations will be presented such that they can be used readily as inputs to the other threads of the STEPS program and compared to results from related studies conducted by DOE, Argonne, and other groups.
Thread Leader: Andy Burke
Graduate Student Researchers: Brian Jungers
Major Project Areas
The research performed in this thread will be a continuation of work that has been on-going at ITS-Davis for a number of years addressing the design and simulation of vehicles utilizing a wide range of new and advanced powertrain technologies. This research has included charge sustaining hybrid vehicles, plug-in hybrid vehicles, hydrogen fueled fuel cell vehicles, and battery powered electric vehicles. Vehicle simulations have been performed using Advisor, PSAT, and SIMPLEV and modifications of those computer programs as needed to include new powertrain components and control strategies. Most of the research has been done using conventional ICE engines and fuels (gasoline and diesel). In the STEPS program, this work will be expanded to include research on conventional and advanced engines using alternative fuels in conventional ICE and hybrid-electric vehicles. Special attention will be given to flex-fuel vehicles that can use more than one type or a mixture of conventional and alternative fuels. Trade-offs between fuel type and energy consumption, emissions, and initial cost will be identified and evaluated in depth and when possible, the differences validated using available vehicle test and market data.
Some of the initial projects to be undertaken will be the following:
- Survey of market and performance/emission data for flex-fuel ICE vehicles in the United States, Brazil, and Europe
- Compilation of engine performance, efficiency and emission characteristics using alternative fuels (E85, CNG, etc) including engines for flex-fuel vehicles
- Improved simulations of ICE and hybrid-electric vehicles using alternative fuels
- Improved simulations of fuel cell stack and vehicle operation using hydrogen on various driving cycles
- Design and simulation of plug-in hybrid vehicles using various advanced batteries and control strategies
- Detailed cost analysis of hybrid-electric, battery-powered, and fuel cell powered vehicles for a range of vehicle types and performance.
Structure of "Cross-Comparison" in this thread
Vehicle design, performance, and cost information will be needed for all the other threads of the STEPS program. It is important that vehicle inputs used in the other threads reflect realistic expectations for improvements in vehicle characteristics and cost reductions in future years and how the characteristics/costs of the various vehicle technology/fuel combinations are likely to change relative to one another. The vehicle design and evaluation tools will be formulated to facilitate the cross-thread comparisons.
Current Posters and Presentations
- Modeling, Simulation, and Analysis of Hybrid-Electric Powertrains and Vehicles - Van Gelder and Burke
- Development of a Scalable Fuel Cell System Optimization Model with Improved Dynamic Behavior for Fuel Cell-Powered Vehicles - Zhao and Burke
Five students graduate from STEPS Program