Enhanced plug-in hybrid electric vehicles

Abstract

Abstract-Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) BACKGROUND: A VISION FOR PHEVSThe US energy economy suffers from the use of too much petroleum. This is a problem because the world's oil reserves are in places far from our national borders and often governed by countries with different political agendas; 60% of the reserves are in the Mideast [1]. It is also a problem because the long term supply of petroleum is limited, with discoveries declining since 1964 [2]. And, it is a problem because our burning of this non-renewable resource produces too much greenhouse gas, with 25% of CO 2 production coming from the US, and 33% of US CO 2 coming from oil. Transportation represents 28% of US energy use and 70% of petroleum use [1].Power obtained from gasoline burned in automobile engines is extremely inefficient, with an average final efficiency of only 15%, with the rest wasted in heat and drive train losses By shifting our least efficient energy conversion step from inefficient small engines to central power plants, the total well to wheel efficiency of our transportation sector can be greatly improved. Also, use of electric power transmission and distribution allows the source of transport energy to be renewable sources, nuclear, or natural gas, with far greater long term supplies and lower carbon footprint. If half the passenger vehicle fleet of the US were replaced by 100 mile per gallon (mpg) plug-in hybrids, the petroleum use of the US would be reduced by approximately the amount now imported from the Mideast. Our CO 2 emissions would be reduced by 0.5 billion tons per year, or 8%. Use of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) allows the limited use of liquid fuels to extend range when that is needed for convenience, taking advantage of their very high energy density, while addressing the need for fuel conservation during the typical shorter commuting trips that dominate usage.

Overview of Main Electric Subsystems of Zero-Emission Vehicles

“…• Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs): they are hybrid vehicles, that is, with double power source for propulsion, an electric and a combustion engine whose battery, normally designed for a range of a few tens of kilometers, and can be recharged from the electric grid [12]. Once the battery is discharged or as soon as it reaches a minimum charge level (20-40% of its energy), the vehicle, according to the type of system management, enters in "normal" hybrid operation, similar to that of hybrid vehicles not rechargeable.…”

Economic analysis of vehicle-to-grid (V2G)-enabled fleets participating in the regulation service market

“…The high expense of lithium ion battery systems, the technology of choice today, will probably remain so for some years to come [5]. However, it is expected that by 2020, battery costs will decrease by 50% mainly due to projected increases in the scale of operations, technological innovations, design standards, and sources [6], [7], [8].…”

Estimating the grid payments necessary to compensate additional costs to prospective electric vehicle owners who provide vehicle-to-grid ancillary services

“…Vehicle-to-building (V2B) is a local variation of V2G which exploits the relationship between commuter and employer. Here, vehicles discharge to the building directly to shave the short peaks in demand which reduces costs to the facility [6]. V2B has a role in the residential context where it can reduce energy costs to the home, provide back-up power and maintain power quality [7].…”

“…Common assumptions of these models include that vehicle batteries are charged fully both at the start of the day and at the time of grid disconnection [12] and charged and discharged at fixed rates [13]. Additional assumptions are that vehicles connect: opportunistically [14], based on widespread charging infrastructure; during the day-time only, such as in the V2B scenario [6]; or during the night-time only [12], such as in the 'valley-filling' approach.…”