Electric and Hybrid Vehicle Design and Performance

As a pathway to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, this chapter discusses the design of electric and hybrid-electric vehicles and the use of alternative energy sources for ground transportation. For each type of advanced vehicle there are multiple design options and driveline configurations and components that can be utilized. In addition, in the case of hybrid vehicles using either engines or fuel cells, there are no different control strategies that can be employed that have significant effects on efficiency, economics, and emissions. The emphasis here will be on the vehicle design and performance, but some considerations will be give to fuel options and requirements as they relate to storage of the fuel on board the vehicle, especially for hydrogen for fuel cells, and the effect of the fuel/energy source on greenhouse gas emissions. Computer simulation results will be give for all the alternative vehicle designs, and available test data will be presented for comparison with the simulation results, and finally, component and vehicle costs will be discussed.