On a larger scope, improving the hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) and electric vehicles (EVs) could address the public concern on climate changes and environmental issues. While ongoing research at the University of Waterloo targets improving HEVs and EVs through studying their various components, there was a pressing need to develop setups or tools to assist in the progress of this research. Hence, the primary problem at hand was the time-consuming and costly procedure of developing individual experimental setups/tools for the proposed experiments. The approach taken to solve these interconnected challenges was the design and development of a modular test bench capable of running various hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) studies on HEV powertrain components. The HIL approach was adopted in order to increase the accuracy of computer-generated simulations through the use of physical components in combination with software simulations. MATLAB Simulink software was employed to create the models and programs, which were then downloaded to dSPACE, a device employed to control the various components of the test bench. The scope of this project expanded not only to accommodate specific experimental setups, such as the HWFET drive cycle test, but also to consider modularity requirements that would address unforeseen circumstances and experimental needs. Meeting the modularity requirements would greatly reduce the cost and time needed for running the experiments. As a result of this project, a test bench was developed with four major components: a modular area (for attaching various physical components that comprise the proposed experiment’s setup), a control panel, a dSPACE, and the electrical energy supply and load. Through running various experiments, numerous components of the test bench were characterized. The developed test bench is capable of accommodating various experimental setups as well as producing relevant data for further analysis. The implications of this project are that the ongoing research on HEVs at the University of Waterloo can now employ the test bench to run proposed experiments more effectively in order to obtain more accurate data.

On a larger scope, improving the hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) and electric vehicles (EVs) could address the public concern on climate changes and environmental issues. While ongoing research at the University of Waterloo targets improving HEVs and EVs through studying their various components, there was a pressing need to develop setups or tools to assist in the progress of this research. Hence, the primary problem at hand was the time-consuming and costly procedure of developing individual experimental setups/tools for the proposed experiments. The approach taken to solve these interconnected challenges was the design and development of a modular test bench capable of running various hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) studies on HEV powertrain components. The HIL approach was adopted in order to increase the accuracy of computer-generated simulations through the use of physical components in combination with software simulations. MATLAB Simulink software was employed to create the models and programs, which were then downloaded to dSPACE, a device employed to control the various components of the test bench. The scope of this project expanded not only to accommodate specific experimental setups, such as the HWFET drive cycle test, but also to consider modularity requirements that would address unforeseen circumstances and experimental needs. Meeting the modularity requirements would greatly reduce the cost and time needed for running the experiments. As a result of this project, a test bench was developed with four major components: a modular area (for attaching various physical components that comprise the proposed experiment’s setup), a control panel, a dSPACE, and the electrical energy supply and load. Through running various experiments, numerous components of the test bench were characterized. The developed test bench is capable of accommodating various experimental setups as well as producing relevant data for further analysis. The implications of this project are that the ongoing research on HEVs at the University of Waterloo can now employ the test bench to run proposed experiments more effectively in order to obtain more accurate data.

<p dir="ltr">Engine downsizing with the assistance of turbomachinery and/or energy storage system has been realized to be one of the most promising and cost-effective solutions in pursuit of cleaner and more efficient engine products. Fundamental challenges however, exist in terms of control and energy management of advanced powertrain featuring turbocharged engines due to their complex dynamics, inherent coupling nature, and strict emission regulations concerning environmental preservation. For the purpose of addressing those challenges, this dissertation develops an integrated framework for modeling, robust coordinated control, and power management of advanced powertrains featuring turbocharged engines.</p><p dir="ltr">This dissertation first studies an advanced turbocharged lean-burn SI natural gas engine manufactured by Caterpillar, and develops an intuitive physics-based, control-oriented model. The obtained control-oriented model is validated against a high-fidelity truth-reference model and serves as the basis on which a robust coordinated control system is developed. The dissertation then proposes a comprehensive procedure for synthesizing a robust coordinated control system applying optimization-based H_infinity control theory. Specifically, this framework outlines a methodology of modeling uncertainties to account for system robustness, and providing valuable insights into the tuning of general coordinated control system design. For performance testing, the synthesized robust coordinated control system is implemented on the high-fidelity truth-reference model. A parallel closed-loop simulation strategy is adopted so that direct comparison between the robust coordinated control system and benchmark production control system (composed of multiple fine-tuned PID controllers) developed by Caterpillar can be carried out. Simulation results manage to demonstrate the merit of utilizing the robust coordinated control system, with better performances observed in terms of steady-state tracking, transient response, and disturbance attenuation.</p><p dir="ltr">The second part of this dissertation focuses on the development of a proposed novel hybrid electric wheel loader which features a downsized engine assisted by turbocharger and an energy storage system. Research efforts documented in this dissertation involve system configuration, controller design (both component-level and supervisory-level), simulation development (both software-in-the-loop and hardware-in-the-loop) and simulated validation for the proposed novel wheel loader. Inspired by the successful simulation results, John Deere assembled a real demo vehicle with the proposed powertrain and conducted some in-field testing, from which encouraging experimental results are observed.</p>

<p>Binder jet printing (BJP) is an additive manufacturing (AM) method which has the potential to be applied to high annual volumes in the automotive industry. Binder jet printing provides an excellent opportunity to innovate transmission valve body components. The three-layer design and complex hydraulic control system channels of valve body housing formulated a new electro-hydraulic system with the brand-new features inherited from BJP. For the valve body, the features of BJP brought a revolutionary new idea for both the valves and hydraulic channel design. The spool valve was housed with a sleeve that integrates orifices and port controls. The hydraulic channel layout of the valve body assembly was greatly simplified and space-saving. The support components had also been replaced with a lightweight design while maintaining the same functionality. Integrated design of Binder jet print produced hydraulic automatic valve system presented an entirely new design, whose static performance was compared to that of the conventional 948TE ZF9HP48 transmission valve body. Similar performance indicated that a valve body design featuring BJP would have great potential for various industrial applications.</p>

Driving has become a very common activity for most of the people around the world today. People are becoming more and more dependent on vehicles, contributing to the growth of automotive industry. New vehicles are released regularly into the market in order to meet the high demand. With the increase in demand, the importance of vehicle testing has also increased by many folds. Besides testing new vehicles for their performance prediction, existing vehicles also need to be tested in order to check their compliance to safety standards. Drive Cycles that have been traditionally defined as velocity over time profiles are used as vehicle testing beds. The need for re-defining drive cycles is demonstrated through the high deviations between the predicted and the actual performance values. As such, a new approach for defining automotive drive cycles, Journey Mapping, is proposed. Journey Mapping defines a drive cycle more realistically as the journey of a particular vehicle from an origin to the destination, which during its journey is influenced by various conditions such as weather, terrain, traffic, driver behavior, road , vehicle and aerodynamic. This concept of Journey Mapping has been implemented using AMESim for a Ford Focus Electric 2012. Journey Mapping was seen to predict its energy consumption with about 5% error; whereas, the error was about 13% when it was tested against the US06 cycle, which provided the most accurate results out of the various traditional drive cycles used for testing for the selected scope. / Thesis / Master of Applied Science (MASc)

<p dir="ltr">This motorsport thesis explores the complete electrification of an IndyCar by simulations. Initial research was conducted on stock IndyCar specifications, and concurrently, a sequential approach was developed for MATLAB-based simulations to generate comprehensive results. The study aims to integrate extensive insights gained from courses such as Vehicle Dynamics, Aerodynamics, Data Acquisition, and Electric Powertrains, alongside practical experience from racing internships. The goal is to comprehend the impact of this conversion on engineering parameters. The analysis specifically emphasizes the engineering aspects, with a particular focus on the longitudinal dynamics of the vehicle through quarter-mile simulations.</p>

No description available.

Cette thèse a pour objectif de proposer une modélisation performante des supercondensateurs à électrodes à base de carbone activé, composants de puissance présents dans un nombre croissant d’applications de stockage d’énergie. La première étape des travaux a consisté à mettre en évidence les phénomènes physico-chimiques, qu’ils soient électrostatiques ou électrochimiques grâce à des essais de caractérisation spécifiques et de vieillissement. L’analyse des résultats associée à la connaissance des matériaux constitutifs a conduit à attribuer le comportement non linéaire du supercondensateur aux phénomènes d’adsorption-désorption (électrosorption) et de diffusion anomale des espèces adsorbées dans le réseau microporeux de l’électrode. La prise en compte de ces phénomènes et de la capacité de double couche a permis de définir un modèle non linéaire fractionnaire dont les paramètres dépendent des grandeurs physico-chimiques de la cellule. La procédure proposée pour l’identification des paramètres du modèle repose sur la réponse en tension du supercondensateur à des profils de charges-décharges. Malgré la simplicité de l’identification, le modèle traduit fidèlement le comportement du supercondensateur soumis à des profils en courant typiques d’applications véhicules électriques et hybrides. / This work aim is an efficient modelling proposal for supercapacitors made of activated carbon electrodes which are power components used in many energy storage applications. In the first part of this study, the purpose is to evidence physico-chemical phenomena, electrostatic or electrochemical as well, thanks to characterization and aging tests. The results analysis combined with materials knowledge leads to suppose that the supercapacitor non linear behavior is due to adsorption-desorption processes and also to anomalous diffusion of adsorbed species into the electrode microporous network. These mechanisms in addition with the double layer capacitor principle allow us to define a non linear fractional model with parameters that depend on physic0-chemical characteristics of the cell. The proposed identification procedure is based on the voltage response to charges-discharge current profiles. In spite of the simplicity of this identification method, the model matches very well the behavior of the supercapacitor under current profiles that are typical of hybrid and electric vehicle applications.

<p>The electrification trend affecting off-road vehicles is paving the way toward dedicated electrified hydraulic actuation systems. Although traditional centralized fluid power architectures are still utilized in many applications for low cost, power density, and reliability, nowadays emission policy results in an increasing interest in developing electro-hydraulic actuator (EHA) solutions. EHAs enable non-throttling actuation and energy recuperation during overrunning loads, leading to higher transmission efficiency and lower fuel consumption. These features in energy efficiency make EHAs competitive in meeting emission regulations compared to conventional hydraulic solutions.</p> <p>The key challenge in developing the EHA solution comes from the high cost and space requirements, especially for the adoption of self-contained EHAs in mobile applications. In this study, two architectures for the EHA are proposed, a closed-circuit architecture and an open-circuit one, to determine the most practical and efficient configuration. The most effective open-circuit architecture with distributed concepts is further investigated for implementation, which requires less modification of the mechanical structures and performs more efficiently than the closed-circuit alternative. The proposed EHA is driven by an electro-hydraulic unit (EHU) consisting of a variable-speed electric motor and a fixed-displacement hydraulic pump, which is relatively cost-effective. A novel hydraulic configuration is proposed, which allows the EHA to cover full-speed operating ranges in four quadrants. </p> <p>To verify the EHA design, the behavior of the proposed system should be predicted prior to costly experiments and demonstrations. For this purpose, an integrated simulation model is developed based on the lumped parameter approach in the Amesim environment. The model includes the electric system, the hydraulic system, and the mechanism to be implemented, which are capable of flexible analysis of functionality, efficiency, and thermal performance.</p> <p>In this work, a dedicated test rig for EHA testing is developed. The test rig can help verify EHA performance, test the control algorithm, and diagnose errors before implementing the system on real applications. The experimental results from the test rig also validate the simulation model. An independent load drive of the test rig allows testing all possible  loading conditions of the proposed EHA, thus demonstrating the energy performance in four quadrants. Thermal behavior is investigated with long duty cycles to determine the need for additional cooling equipment. After the validation of the hydraulic configuration, a power electronics setup is added to the test rig, which allows to drive the EHA system with the novel designed EHUs. Validation on the test platform paves the way for implementation in a vehicle. </p> <p>As a final step, the proposed EHA system is implemented in a reference vehicle, a Case New Holland TV380 skid steer loader. A novel designed EHU is adopted to drive the system for technology demonstration. The energy savings capacity of the EHA is investigated in comparison to the baseline measurements of the traditional open-center hydraulic architecture. The impressive savings from the reduction of throttling losses and energy recovery guide the possible commercialization of such EHAs in mobile hydraulic applications. The controller design of the implemented EHA system is investigated with the aim of improving the dynamic performance, e.g., reducing damping oscillation. Basic power management strategies are also studied to integrate EHA with the power train of current hydraulic machines. Regarding future work, based on this research but not within the scope of this study, the proposed EHA system can be adopted with different types of prime movers, such as axial piston machines as the hydraulic part of an EHU. Furthermore, the design approach proposed in this study can help resize the EHA system for other applications with different loading conditions and power requirements, and the energy savings capability can be further investigated. With this, a comprehensive market analysis will be performed for the commercialization of EHA. </p>

<p dir="ltr"><b><i>Background</i></b><b>:</b> The increase in EV deployment is presenting numerous energy challenges to the utility distribution infrastructure. The energy demands created by EV charging sessions and the growing call to develop a network of DCFC charging facilities increases operational risk to the utilities in the ability to provide safe and reliable electricity to all customers.</p><p dir="ltr"><b><i>Purpose:</i></b> The purpose of this study is to identify the extent of impact to the utility distribution grid from an increasing EV (electric vehicle) adoption.</p><p dir="ltr"><b><i>Setting</i></b><b>: </b>In total, there were 3,020 rows of distribution circuit feeder data collected from the PG&E DIDF and National Grid NY System Reporting Tool between 2022 – 2023. Additionally, 48 documents, engineering reports, rate filings, articles, research studies, and utility whitepapers were examined.</p><p dir="ltr"><b><i>Research Design:</i></b> Impact analysis using a mixed methodology.</p><p dir="ltr"><b><i>Data Collection and Analysis:</i></b> A single research question was used to formulate an impact analysis to the utility distribution infrastructure under a mixed methodology. A quantitative analysis to determine circuit burden based on historical feeder capacity data and conduct hypothetical impact testing based on a set of ten variables. A qualitative analysis was administered to support these results and further design recommendations for the utility system under a logic model.</p><p dir="ltr"><b><i>Findings:</i></b> The PG&E and Utility National Grid EV and Circuit Impact Analysis demonstrated high susceptibility to overburden under a moderate number of level 2 EV chargers and significantly more when the loading impact was the result of DCFC facilities. The additional exploratory research yielded a consistent theme of mitigation strategies applicable to all electric utilities.</p><p><br></p><p dir="ltr"><b><i>Conclusions</i></b><i>:</i> Portions of the electric distribution infrastructure, operated by hundreds of utilities across the United States must be analyzed, upgraded, and adequately managed under systematic programs which promote facility upgrades, energy management, technology integration, such as AMI. Further, the execution of regulatory strategies for smart policy development and investment into hosting capacity tools are critical to reducing EV impact to the utility.</p><p dir="ltr"><b><i>Keywords</i></b><i>: </i>EV, electric utility, EV grid impacts, EV grid analysis, EV managed charging, EV AMI infrastructure.</p>