Shawn D. Sarbacker

Conceptual designs of strong hybrid vehicle powertrains

This paper describes four conceptual designs of strong hybrid vehicle powertrains. These concepts enable conversion of conventional powertrains into strong hybrid powertrains with minimal tear-up to the existing architecture. These concepts are configured as follows: (1) incorporates an electric machine attached to the front axle of a conventional rear-wheel-drive vehicle; (2) a Flywheel-Alternator-Starter (FAS) system with a motor placed between the torque converter and the transmission; (3) same as previous one but where the torque converter is replaced by a starting clutch; and (4) a dual mode Electric Variable Transmission (EVT). These concepts provide extensive hybrid functionality such as, electric motor-only drive; launch assist, braking energy recovery and regeneration. Simulation results indicate that the proposed strong hybrid concepts have the potential to provide fuel economy gains of 19% to 26% over conventional powertrains.Copyright