Factors Affecting the Fuel Consumption of Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicles

Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) have proven to significantly reduce petroleum consumption when compared to conventional internal combustion engine vehicles by utilizing onboard electrical energy storage for propulsion. Through extensive testing of PHEVs, analysis has shown that fuel consumption of PHEVs is more significantly affected than conventional vehicles by the driver's inputs, as well as by the environmental inputs around the vehicle. Six primary factors have been identified that significantly affect fuel consumption and electrical energy consumption of PHEVs. In this paper, these primary factors are analyzed from the on-road driving and charging data of the Hymotion Prius PHEV. The data consist of 1.8 million miles of driving and charging from over 200 PHEVs in 23 states, Canada, and Finland. The Idaho National Laboratory tests PHEVs as part of its conduct of the U.S. Department of Energy's Advanced Vehicle Testing Activity. The Advanced Vehicle Testing Activity is part of the U.S. Department of Energy's Vehicle Technology Program. In collaboration with its more than 90 PHEV testing partners, Idaho National Laboratory has collected data on 12 different PHEV models (as distinguished by battery manufacturer), while conducting fleet, track, and dynamometer testing for the U.S. Department of Energy's Advanced Vehicle Testing Activity. 1