Hybrid Vehicles

Argonne researchers are developing and testing various hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) and their components to identify the technologies, configurations, and engine control strategies that provide the best combination of high fuel economy and low emissions.

Because of the number of possible advanced powertrain configurations, developing HEVs and fuel cell vehicles requires accurate, flexible simulation tools. As a result, Argonne has developed the Powertrain System Analysis Toolkit © (PSAT under the direction of Ford, General Motors, and DaimlerChrysler. This forward-looking model simulates vehicle fuel economy, emissions, and performance in a realistic manner — taking into account transient behavior and control system characteristics. PSAT can simulate an unrivaled number of predefined configurations (conventional, electric, fuel cell, series hybrid, parallel hybrid, and power split hybrid).

Argonne also serves as the lead laboratory for hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) and technology validation for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). HIL is a technique for performing system-level tests in a quick and cost-effective manner. Argonne employs HIL techniques to evaluate new technologies and control strategies in an emulated vehicle environment. With HIL, actual components can be evaluated under realistic operating conditions.

Furthermore, Argonne developed the software — PSAT-PRO© — that automatically commands and controls vehicle subsystems to effect the emulation. The PSAT-PRO© software is integrally linked to the PSAT© software, but it is still generic enough to go from modeling to prototyping for any kind of hybrid configuration. It was designed to control any kind of hybrid powertrain system or subsystem.

September 23, 2004