| dc.description.abstract | The ever-growing concern for the environment as well as stricter emissions has fueled the drive for the automotive industry to sway away from the conventional fossil-fueled vehicle. As the pursuit of using alternative energy sources that are cleaner and more sustainable is increasing, so is the popularity of electric vehicles. There are however, challenges associated with adopting them, such as high costs, limited driving range, long charging times, and lack of charging station infrastructure. While industries are constantly making breakthroughs to address these challenges, hybrid electric vehicles are seen as the stepping-stone to the transition from fossil fueled vehicles to all-electric vehicles.
There is a wealth of technical literature available on topics related to the control strategies, technology development, and optimization of hybrid electric vehicles. However, it has been found that there is limited literature available regarding the process of selecting and integrating the powertrain itself. Literatures that do address the selection and integration seldom use a real life example to demonstrate the applied theory. Therefore, the objective of this thesis is to provide insight and guidance on theoretical and practical knowledge required for the powertrain selection and integration process of a hybrid electric vehicle, demonstrated with the use of a detailed case study on the hybridization of a Chevrolet Camaro. This is made possible with the access to resources and tools required for a full powertrain integration provided by EcoCAR 3.
This thesis focuses on the steps taken to convert the Camaro into a series-parallel plug in hybrid electric vehicle, more specifically; it outlines the process used to determine the vehicle technical requirements through target market research, which is then translated into engineering specifications to select the vehicle architecture and powertrain components. Followed by the design and integration of the powertrain including its thermal management system. The stock V6 3.6 Liter engine has been replaced by a 2-cylinder 0.85 Liter turbo charged engine, tuned to run on E85 fuel. Two GKN electric motors capable of producing a peak power of 140 kW each has been integrated pre and post of the stock 8-speed transmission, and utilize a 16.2 kWh energy storage system integrated in the trunk of the vehicle.
To provide a deeper insight in the process of hybridizing a vehicle, the thesis highlights some the obstacles and challenges faced, and the consequent lessons learnt. Some of which are the following: simplicity is a key principle to a good design, approach a complicated problem one step at a time, always test before pursuing or implementing a solution, and last but not least, it is imperative for a driveline to be aligned as well as balanced. | en |
