Rapid adoption of battery electric vehicles means improving energy consumption is a top priority. Regenerative braking converts kinetic energy to electrical energy stored in the battery pack while the vehicle is decelerating. Coasting is an alternative strategy that minimizes energy consumption by decelerating the vehicle using only road load. This work refines a battery electric vehicle model to assess regen, coasting, and other deceleration strategies. A road load model based on public test data calculates tractive effort based on speed and acceleration. Bidirectional Willans lines are the basis of the powertrain model simulating battery energy consumption. Regen braking tractive and powertrain power are modeled backward from prescribed linear velocity curves, and the coasting trajectory is forward modeled given zero tractive power. Decel modes based on zero battery and motor power are also forward modeled. Multi-Mode decel (using a low power mode with regen) is presented as an intermediate strategy. An example vehicle is modeled in fixed-route simulations using these strategies and is scored based on travel time, energy consumption, and bias towards minimizing one of those metrics. Regen braking has the lowest travel time, and coasting the lowest energy consumption, but such bias increases overall cost. Multi-mode strategies lower overall cost by balancing reductions in travel time and energy consumption. The model is sensitive to grade and accessory load fluctuation, making this work adaptable to different vehicles and environments. This work demonstrates the utility of regen braking alternatives that could enhance connected and automated vehicle systems in battery electric vehicles. / Master of Science / As battery electric vehicle adoption accelerates, reducing energy consumption remains a priority. While regenerative braking saves energy by recharging the battery pack using kinetic energy, coasting (deceleration caused only by road load) has potential as well. This work focuses on refining a battery electric vehicle model and assessing various deceleration strategies. A road load model calculates wheel tractive effort, and Willans lines are used to model powertrain energy consumption. Coasting and other deceleration modes based on zero system power are modeled to produce speed trajectories, and regenerative braking power is modeled using prescribed linear velocity curves. Strategies that use multiple decel modes are also considered. An example battery electric vehicle is assessed using these strategies in fixed-route simulations. Vehicle performance is scored based on battery energy consumption and travel time. Regenerative braking has the lowest travel time, and coasting the lowest energy consumption, but those strategies also have the highest overall cost. Multi-mode strategies lower cost by balancing energy consumption and travel time. The strategies are sensitive to changes in road grade and accessory power, meaning the model can be used with different vehicles and environments. This work demonstrates the utility of alternatives to regenerative braking and how such strategies could enhance battery electric vehicles with autonomous capabilities.

Energy demands are steadily increasing as the world's population continues to grow. Automobiles are primary transportation means in a large portion of the world. The combination of fuel consumption by automobiles along with the shrinking fossil fuel reserves makes the development of new more energy efficient technologies crucial. Electric vehicle technologies have been studied and are still being studied today as a means of improving fuel efficiency. To that end, this work studies the effect of switching frequency on the efficiency of a hybrid electric vehicle traction drive, which contains both an internal combustion engine as well as electric motor. Therefore improving the efficiency of the electric motor and its drive will help improve the viability of alternative vehicle technologies. Automobiles spend the majority of their operational time in the lower speed, lower torque region. This work focuses on efficiency improvements in that region. To estimate the efficiency trend, the system is modeled and then tested both electrically and thermally. The efficiency is shown to increase at lower switching frequencies. The experimental results show that there are some exceptions, but the basic trend is the same. / Master of Science

For the purpose of this study, data for low voltage distribution transformer loading in small communities in Maryland was collected from a local electric utility company. Specifically, analysis was done on three distribution transformers on their system. Each of these transformers serves at least one electric vehicle (EV) owner. Of the three transformers analyzed, Transformer 2 serves eight residential homes and has the highest risk of experiencing an overload if all customers purchase at least one EV. Transformer 2 has a nameplate rating of 25kVA (22.5kW assuming a 0.9 power factor). With one EV owner, Transformer 2 has a peak load of 46.82kW during the study period between August 4 and August 17, 2013. When seven additional EVs of different types were added in a simulated scenario, the peak load for Transformer 2 increased from 46.82kW to 89.76kW, which is outside the transformer thermal limit. With the implementation of TOU pricing, the peak load was reduced to 56.71kW from 89.76kW. By implementing a combination of TOU pricing and appliance cycling through demand side management (DSM), the peak load was further reduced to 52.27kW. / Master of Science

The Hybrid Electric Vehicle Team (HEVT) of Virginia Tech is one of 16 university teams participating in EcoCAR 3, the latest competition in the Advanced Vehicle Technology Competitions (AVTC) organized by Argonne National Labs. EcoCAR 3 tasks teams with converting a 2016 Chevrolet Camaro into a hybrid electric vehicle with 5 main goals: reducing petroleum energy use and greenhouse gas emissions while maintaining safety, performance, and consumer acceptability. Over the last 4 years, HEVT has designed and built a plugin parallel hybrid electric vehicle with a unique powertrain architecture. This work deals with utilizing the unique powertrain layout of the HEVT Camaro to improve drive quality, a key component in consumer acceptability. Although there are many ways to approach drive quality, most aspects can be analyzed in the smoothness of the vehicle longitudinal acceleration response. This research is focused on improving the drive quality of the vehicle developed for EcoCAR 3. Multiple algorithms are developed to address specific aspects of drive quality that can only be done with the powertrain developed. This begins by researching the control strategies used in modern automatic transmissions, and moves into the modeling strategy used to begin algorithm development. Two main strategies are developed and calibrated in the vehicle. The first being a strategy for reducing jerk in pure electric mode by limiting motor torque response. The second strategy aims to improve transmission shift quality by using the electric motor to reduce torque fluctuations at the driveshaft. The energy consumption impact of both of these strategies is also analyzed to ensure that drive quality does not come at the large expense of energy consumption. / Master of Science / The Hybrid electric vehicle team (HEVT) of Virginia Tech is one of 16 university teams participating in EcoCAR 3, the latest competition in the Advanced Vehicle Technology Competitions (AVTC) organized by Argonne National Labs. EcoCAR 3 tasks teams with converting a 2016 Chevrolet Camaro into a hybrid electric vehicle with 5 main goals: reducing petroleum energy use and greenhouse gas emissions while maintaining safety, performance, and consumer acceptability. Over the last 4 years, HEVT has designed and built a plugin parallel hybrid electric vehicle with a unique powertrain architecture. This work deals with utilizing the unique powertrain layout of the HEVT Camaro to improve drive quality, a key component in consumer acceptability. Multiple strategies were examined and implemented for different driving conditions, and ultimately an improvement was made. However, new challenges are introduced by having some components remain stock that limit the success of smoothing gear shifts.

The goals of the research documented in this thesis were the design, construction, modeling, and validation of a fuel cell hybrid electric vehicle based a conversion of a five-passenger production sedan. Over 60 engineering students working together as the Hybrid Electric Vehicle Team of Virginia Tech (HEVT), integrated a proton exchange membrane fuel cell system into a series hybrid electric vehicle. This design produced an efficient and truly zero-emission vehicle. This 1997 Chevrolet Lumina sedan, renamed ANIMUL H2, carries this advanced powertrain, using an efficient AC induction drivetrain, regenerative braking, compressed hydrogen fuel storage, and an advanced lead-acid battery pack for peak power load leveling. The vehicle weighed 2000 kg (4400 lb) and achieved a combined city/highway fuel economy of 9L/100 km or 26 mpgge (miles per gallon gasoline equivalent, charge depleting, state of charge corrected). A model of the vehicle was developed using ADVISOR, an Advanced Vehicle Simulator that tracks energy flow and fuel usage within the vehicle drivetrain and energy conversion components. The vehicle was tested using the Environmental Protection Agency city and highway driving cycles to provide data for validation of the model. Vehicle data and model results show good correlation at all levels and show that ADVISOR has the capability to model fuel cell hybrid electric vehicles. To make techniques proven by this work more versatile for real world application, VT worked with engineers at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory to develop a 'generic' version of this fuel cell system model that was released to the public in ADVISOR 2.2. This generic model correlates well to test data and incorporates both fuel cell stack and subsystem models. This feature allowed HEVT to predict the benefits of load following subsystem control, showing a 40% fuel economy improvement. / Master of Science

Reducing the thermal impedance between power module and heat sink is important for high-power density, low-cost inverter applications. Mounting a power module by directly soldering it onto a heat sink can significantly reduce the thermal impedance at the module / heat sink interface, as compared to the conventional method of bolting the two together with a thermal grease or some other interface materials in between. However, a soldered interface typically contains a large number of voids, which results in local hot spots. This thesis describes approaches taken to reduce voids in the solder layer through surface treatment, solder paste selection, and adjustment in solder-reflow conditions. A 15MHz scanning acoustic microscope (SAM), a non-destructive inspection tool, was used to determine the void content at the module / heat sink interface. The experimental results show that a significant reduction in thermal resistance can be achieved by reducing the void content at the soldered module / heat sink interface. Moreover, a comparison of the thermal resistances in cases using the worst soldering, which contains the largest voided area, ThermstrateTM and thermal grease are presented. Thermal performances of the modules are studied by simulation with Flotherm. / Master of Science

As electric vehicles (EVs) are seen as the future of transportation, there are two significant challenges to overcome: range and cost. One effective strategy to address these issues is the optimization of powertrain components, which significantly impact both vehicle range and overall cost. In powertrain optimization, particular focus is placed on optimizing the electric motor and gearbox due to their crucial roles in vehicle performance and EV efficiency. A two-speed gearbox configuration for EVs has emerged as a solution to enhance dynamic performance and extend range. However, this approach comes with drawbacks such as increased weight and cost, leading to the prevalent use of single-speed gearboxes in the EV industry. Nonetheless, there is potential for optimizing motor size through the integration of a two-speed gearbox. The key question is whether the benefits of a smaller motor and increased vehicle range, enabled by a two-speed gearbox, outweigh its drawbacks. This study proposes a systematic method for co-optimizing the electric motor's sizing specifications and the gear ratios of a two-speed gearbox. This method achieved a 13% reduction in the required motor power for a sub-compact vehicle's specified 0-100 km/h acceleration, along with a significant motor weight reduction of up to 25%. Additionally, energy consumption was reduced by up to 3.8% for the EPA drive cycle while maintaining the same acceleration performance. / Thesis / Master of Applied Science (MASc)

Electric motors for vehicle applications are required to have high efficiency and small size and weight. Accurately modeling the thermal properties of an electric motor is critical to properly sizing the motor. Improving the cooling of the motor windings allows for a more efficient and power-dense motor. There are a variety of methods for predicting motor temperatures, however this paper discusses the advantages and accuracy of using a nodal lumped thermal model. Both commercially available and proprietary motor thermal modeling software are evaluated and compared. Thermal improvements based on the model in both contact interfaces and winding encapsulant are evaluated, showing motor improvements in the ability to handle heat losses of approximately forty percent greater than the baseline, resulting in either higher power or lower motor temperatures for the same package size. / Master of Science

Defining an operation strategy for a Split Parallel Architecture (SPA) Hybrid Electric Vehicle (HEV) is accomplished through calculating powertrain component losses. The results of these calculations define how the vehicle can decrease fuel consumption while maintaining low vehicle emissions. For a HEV, simply operating the vehicle's engine in its regions of high efficiency does not guarantee the most efficient vehicle operation. The results presented are meant only to define a literal strategy; that is, an understanding as to why the vehicle should operate in a certain way under the given conditions. The literature review gives a background of hybrid vehicle control publications, and without the SPA HEV addressed or a hybrid analysis based on loss calculations between engine only and hybrid modes, there is a need for this paper. Once the REVLSE architecture and components are understood, the hybrid modes are explained. Then the losses for each hybrid mode are calculated, and both the conversion and assist efficiencies are detailed. The conversion efficiency represents the amount of additional fuel required to store a certain amount of energy in the battery, and this marginal efficiency can be higher than peak engine efficiency itself. This allows electric only propulsion to be evaluated against the engine only mode, and at low torques the electric motor is more efficient despite the roundtrip losses of the hybrid system. / Master of Science

The automotive industry is shifting towards the development of electric vehicles (EVs) at a rapid pace with most manufacturers intending to be producing solely electric vehicles by 2050. This is due in large part to government regulations aiming to reduce emissions from the transportation sector. As a result, significant research is being conducted to advance the development of EV propulsion technology. This research explores two aspects of EV design: the analysis and selection of an efficient EV propulsion architecture, and the implementation and testing of an efficiency-based energy management strategy (EMS) for implementation on Mississippi State’s EcoCAR team vehicle for the EcoCAR EV Challenge (2023 Cadillac LYRIQ). The proposed EMS serves as a first step in the development of a complex and robust propulsion supervisory controller with the objective of minimizing energy consumption, maximizing vehicle acceleration performance and minimizing jerk, to deliver a pleasant driving experience