Makarand M. Lokhande

A seven switch all in one power electronic topology for converted plug-in hybrid electric vehicle

The paper presents a concept of seven switch power electronic topology capable of performing motoring, regeneration, plug-in charging and IC engine charging for converted plug-in hybrid topology. First, Integrated Converter act as charger reducing requirement of separate converter for charging with single phase charging functions (with the facility of three phase). Second, the same converter is used for charging the main battery when the internal combustion engine is running. Third, the same converter will act as an inverter in electric/hybrid electric mode supplying power to wheels through motor from the battery. Forth, the regeneration mode, the machines phase windings energize the dc-link voltage i.e. battery through same converter act as a rectifier. The electrical energy flow within the drivetrain is controlled by a power electronic converter with less power switching devices and magnetic devices. During charging mode, the power converter and the machine phase windings are controlled with a three-phase magnetic contactor to enable the use of the ac-dc rectifier for charging the battery. It has the advantage of charging through IC engine at running and standstill condition. The passive power factor correction is used while plug-in charging mode, moreover optional active power factor correction for very high-quality input waveform and non-isolated grid charging is possible. Simulation results in MATLAB/Simulink validate the effectiveness of the proposed topology at different modes.

Performance analysis of converted parallel plug-in hybrid electric vehicle

The paper presents a performance analysis for Tata Indica diesel vehicle converted to the parallel plug-in hybrid electric vehicle. The performance of fuel consumption and all emissions is analyzed by considering sample urban and highway Indian driving cycle. The complete vehicle is simulated using an ADvanced VehIcle SimulatOR (ADVISOR) simulation software with MATLAB Simulink for simulation of a rule-based and fuzzy logic based optimized control strategy for converted PHEV. The performance characteristics are plotted, analyzed along with the efficiency and emission mapping. The results of converted PHEV obtained for both control strategy are compared with conventional one for both driving cycles for analysis of the fuel consumption and emissions considering real-time benchmarking norms. The simulation results indicate that the fuzzy strategy leads to lower pollution while simple on/off strategy gives least fuel consumption.

Fuzzy logic based energy management strategy for converted parallel plug-in hybrid electric vehicle

The paper investigates on energy management strategies during conversion of the conventional vehicle into the plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV). The Tata Indica converted PHEV is considered with designed specification of the electric drivetrain. The energy management system decides the preferred operating points for the different powertrain subsystems (i.e. set points for the engine and motor as per the state of battery) so that the overall cost of operating the vehicle (fuel consumption) and or emissions is minimized. However, fuel economy and emissions minimization are conflicting objectives, hence smart control strategies need to be developed to minimize either fuel consumption or emissions and or both for particular selected vehicle with a trade-off between them. In this work due to the requirement of simplicity, practically implementable and other advantages like robustness and reliability of a fuzzy logic, a fuzzy logic control based strategy is used for deciding operating points of engine and motor. This is then used to simulate a complete vehicle. Simulation of selected conventional vehicle and converted PHEV has done in MATLAB. The performance of simulated converted PHEV is studied for the fuel consumption and emissions and compared with conventional for Indian driving cycle for different cases.

Advanced Material Selection for Semiconductor Switching Devices in Electric Vehicles Using PROMETHEE Method

Electric Vehicle (EV) has emerged as a solution for the growing concerns on pollution and depleting oil resources all over the world. The performance and efficiency of an EV mainly depends on the power electronic switching devices used in it which, in turn depends on the properties of materials used in its fabrication. Traditional semiconductor material like Silicon has been widely used for the fabrication of these switches. However, improvised material technology and incessant demand for better performance has triggered the use of wide band-gap (WBG) semiconductors in switching devices. This paper aims to compare a few WBG semiconductors with traditional semiconductors based on their material properties. A decision making method called PROMETHEE has been used for comparison and the possibly best material for fabrication of switching devices has been chosen based on their rankings achieved. Adoption of the suggested material can improve the performance and efficiency of EVs theoretically.

Design and performance analysis of radial flux C-core switched reluctance motor for in-wheel electrical vehicle application

A 12/15 pole dual air-gap single rotor configuration with C-core radial flux switched reluctance motor (RFSRM) is proposed as a potential candidate for in-wheel electrical vehicle application with removable wheel/rotor, without disturbing the stator or stator winding. The proposed topology offers effective stator and rotor contact area without increasing the diameter of electrical motor and has smaller flux path compared to the conventional RFSRM. This arrangement offers good torque with low excitation current. It is easy to wound the winding at stator core compared to toothed or segmented type axial field SRM. In this paper phase inductance and torque are calculated analytically and compared with finite element analysis (FEA) results.

Electric vehicle batteries: A selection based on PROMETHEE method

Electric vehicles are gaining considerable importance in the past few decades as an alternate option for transportation due to the hefty price increase in petroleum products and the safety concerns raised by hazardous tail-pipe emissions. Energy sources, the primary part of an electric vehicle (EV) is playing a vital role in making EVs successful technically and commercially. Batteries are the most predominantly used energy sources in an EV. Various types of EV batteries are discussed in this paper. Also, a suitable battery selection for electric vehicle application based on its performance parameters are carried out using an optimization method called PROMETHEE method.

Material selection for semiconductor switching devices in electric vehicles using Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) method

Power semiconductor devices are one of the most essential components in electrical vehicles. Traditionally, silicon has been used as the semiconductor material in switching devices. Si material has reached its technological limits like switching frequency, maximum operation temperature etc., which lead to exploring new semiconductor materials for switching devices. In this paper Wide Band-Gap materials (WBG) along with conventional semiconductor materials are compared with each other based on their material properties which affects the performance of the power electronics devices in electric vehicles using a Multiple Attribute Decision Making (MADM) method called as Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) method and has been ranked according to its performance. Selection of semiconductor materials for power electronics switching devices in electric vehicles are done according to this rank.

Hardware implementation of single-phase Shunt Active Power Filter with hysteresis current control loop for rectifier type load

This paper presents a Shunt Active Power Filter (SAPF) topology using four bi-directional power switches. The SAPF provides a current pathway for the distorted current when supply voltage is connected to a nonlinear load. Hysteresis current control loop switching strategy is used to re-shape the distorted current. Therefore, total input current drawn from the supply will be in sinusoidal shape & in the phase. Safe commutation strategies is developed to prevent over current spike during the transition between positive cycle and negative cycle of the remaining distorted current. MATLAB/SEVTULINK is used to simulate and verify the operation of the SAPF. Laboratory prototype for this topology is built & tested. This will provide the clean power at source side in terms of Power Factor and Total Harmonics Distortion (T.HD.).