Urban and Extra-Urban Hybrid Vehicles: A Technological Review

Abstract

Pollution derived from transportation systems is a worldwide, timelier issue than ever. The abatement actions of harmful substances in the air are on the agenda and they are necessary today to safeguard our welfare and that of the planet. Environmental pollution in large cities is approximately 20% due to the transportation system. In addition, private traffic contributes greatly to city pollution. Further, “vehicle operating life” is most often exceeded and vehicle emissions do not comply with European antipollution standards. It becomes mandatory to find a solution that respects the environment and, realize an appropriate transportation service to the customers. New technologies related to hybrid–electric engines are making great strides in reducing emissions, and the funds allocated by public authorities should be addressed. In addition, the use (implementation) of new technologies is also convenient from an economic point of view. In fact, by implementing the use of hybrid vehicles, fuel consumption can be reduced. The different hybrid configurations presented refer to such a series architecture, developed by the researchers and Research and Development groups. Regarding energy flows, different strategy logic or vehicle management units have been illustrated. Various configurations and vehicles were studied by simulating different driving cycles, both European approval and homologation and customer ones (typically municipal and university). The simulations have provided guidance on the optimal proposed configuration and information on the component to be used.

Banning Diesel Vehicles in London: Is 2040 Too Late?

“…This section outlines the survey questions that were distributed to Londoners: (1) Since poor air quality affects the quality of life referring to the state of wellbeing in terms of health, comfort, and happiness [44], the first survey question sought to ascertain the Londoners' levels of satisfaction in respect to air quality. This question sought to discover to what extent they agreed with the following statement: "I am satisfied with the air quality in London".…”

Supercapacitor Storage Sizing Analysis for a Series Hybrid Vehicle

“…On the one hand, HEVs, by increasing overall powertrain efficiency, can reduce CO 2 emissions; on the other hand, allowing electric traction in urban missions and smoothing Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) accelerations, they can reduce local pollutant emissions. In the technical literature, different hybrid topologies and many Energy Management Systems (EMS) were proposed [1,2] nevertheless hybrid architectures can be mainly divided in two categories: parallel and series hybrid vehicles. Regarding parallel architecture, this structure is mainly used on medium size cars and can be realized either with one electrical machine [3][4][5][6][7], two electrical machines and a planetary gearbox (also known as power split or series/parallel hybrid) [8][9][10][11][12][13][14] can be realized with a compound structured permanent-magnet motor [15].…”

Empirical Study on the Efficiency of an LPG-Supplied Range Extender for Electric Vehicles

“…The importance of providing adequate driving range to BEVs users has led to the development of extended range electric vehicles (EREVs), which combine an electric powertrain with an ICE [9,10] Despite their practicality, EREVs are not an ideal solution because the use of an onboard ICE to ensure sufficient range of the vehicle results in emission of pollutants. Recently, it has been proposed to limit this emission by supplying range extenders with alternative fuels [9,11,14,15]. While there are many gaseous and liquid fuels to consider [16], the use of liquified petroleum gas (LPG) and its renewable version, BioLPG, are considered as currently viable options [11,17,18].…”