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Plug in Series Hybrid Electric Vehicles

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Nickys13

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Hello,

For my final year project I need to design electronic systems aimed for Plug in Series Hybrid Electric Vehicles. The electronics will aim to connect and control the flow between the HV battery and the motor of the car.

I have found a few useful papers in the Engineering Village regarding bi-directional converters, but all too general. Do you have any ideas about where I could find some valuable information on the subject and also about specific examples used in the automotive hybrid vehicles industry?
 
Oddly the "new hybrid tech" is not new at all. Check out the liturature on the big mining industry trucks and equipmnet. They pioneered the engine/battery/regen tech a few decades ago. ;)
Really! :)
Komatsu makes a diesel electric payloader that puts 450hp electric at each wheel! :eek:
Some of the super sized mine trucks use the same tech too! They run battery systems to regen brake, then reuse that power along with the super sized diesel engine to climb out of mining pits.
If your good at math figure out the ratio of fuel used per ton moved then refigure that to your average car!
Bet you start thinking there's a conspiracy between auto manufactures and the oil industry! :eek:

Do some asking and they may even give you some tech info on the actual systems.
Same with the auto manufacturers. Ask the right people and they are happy to dump some tech info on you. :)
 
If your good at math figure out the ratio of fuel used per ton moved then refigure that to your average car!
Bet you start thinking there's a conspiracy between auto manufactures and the oil industry! :eek:
and if you are good at physics you won't. I forget just how much more power it takes for every 10MPH, but last I knew those heavy loaders did not go very fast at all.
 
and if you are good at physics you won't. I forget just how much more power it takes for every 10MPH, but last I knew those heavy loaders did not go very fast at all.

What does the speed of the vehicle have to do with it? The math (physics) would bare out if the overall system was more efficient or not over non electric (assisted/power recovery) and simple economics (total cost of ownership) would tell if the pay back was reasonable or not.

Lefty
 
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Lefty, a loader doesn't have to contend with air resistance, a car does. And no the math/physics wouldn't bear out with efficiency. At least in the states, current EPA fuel usage estimates are on a test bench that don't account for drive train loss or wind resistance at running speeds. I believe this is changing soon though. Size/weight constraints on a car are SIGNIFICANTLY different from a truck/loader as well.

I've also never seen any studies on electric/hybrid vehicles that take into account repair/battery costs or the impact on the environment of the batteries themselves.

Lead or lithium based doesn't matter, it's NOT good stuff. I've often joked with friends that when (and it will happen) lithium batteries start becoming commonly disposed it will be interesting to see what happens to the released lithium in the ground water. This is funny because Lithium salts are used in the treatment of bi-polar disorder, and is FAR more active than lead (one of the reasons it's used in batteries)
 
"Lefty, a loader doesn't have to contend with air resistance, a car does."

Well I thought the the OP was about improved efficiency of all electric or hybrid Vs IC engine only powered vehicles regardless of their speed ranges.

Any automobile that relies solely on friction braking can be improved on by power systems that can recover energy via power recovery braking, regardless of the energy source used, and in fact the faster a vehicle is capable of the more energy that would be available for recovery I would think.

I think that was the interesting points made by tcmtech about the large mining transportation vehicles. All the other topics about environmental issues and unintended consequences of all the possible transportation energy sources was not what I was commenting on, nor do I feel partially qualified to pass judgement on. I just feel improved efficiency is a measurable thing and is a positive goal to try and continue to explore.

Lefty
 
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I'd still like to see more studies done on the practicality of dealing with the batteries as a waste product. Just look at tires for automobiles hardly a year goes by some massive illegal dump isn't found, and you'll have to replace the battery for an electric or hybrid close to as often as the tires over the life of the vehicle. They just sort of gloss over that.
 
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