In order to achieve lower fuel consumption and less greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, we need higher efficiency vehicles with improved performance. Electrification is the most promising solution to enable a more sustainable and environmentally friendly transportation system. Electrified transportation vision includes utilizing more electrical energy to power traction and nontraction loads in the vehicle. In electrified powertrain applications, the efficiency of the electrical path, and the power and energy density of the components play important roles to improve the electric range of the vehicle to run the engine close to its peak efficiency point and to maintain lower energy consumption with less emissions. In general, the electrified powertrain architecture, design and control of the powertrain components, and software development are coupled to facilitate an efficient, high-performance, and reliable powertrain. In this paper, enabling technologies and solutions for the electrified transportation are discussed in terms of power electronics, electric machines, electrified powertrain architectures, energy storage systems (ESSs), and controls and software.

No abstract

Electric machines have broadly been used in many industries including the transportation industry. With the evolving trend of electrification in transportation, electric machines with higher power density and higher efficiency are demanded and, thus, more stringent thermal management requirements are needed for electrified vehicle applications. This study comprehensively presents various important aspects of thermal management in electric machines with the main focus on transportation applications. Design considerations, challenges, and methods for enhanced thermal management are discussed. Fundamental thermal properties of common materials are presented and sources of losses in various parts of machines are explained. Furthermore, typical cooling techniques and thermal analysis approaches for electric machines are reviewed in detail. This study will serve as a reference guideline for machine designers, who are interested in thermal management, and for thermal researchers working on electric machines.

The technical maturity and rapidly increasing market share of electrified vehicles have given more importance to the cabin thermal management. Efficient thermal management has a key role to maintain adequate electric operating range, protect components from aging and ensure passenger comfort. This research comprehensively reviews the cabin thermal management systems for electrified vehicles. Various vehicle cabin thermal modeling techniques and the key concepts for cabin thermal comfort have been discussed. Different technical and operational solutions of the cabin thermal management in hot and cold climate conditions are evaluated. The recent developments including heat pumps, thermal system control, passive thermal management, and cabin preconditioning to increase thermal management efficiency are analyzed. The results show that increasing amount of research is focusing on improving the thermal efficiency of the individual electrical components and the vehicle level systems. However, new solutions will be required for reducing the cabin thermal load under hot conditions and improving the heating system operational flexibility and efficiency in cold climates.

No abstract