Efficiency enhancement strategy implementation in hybrid electric vehicles using sliding mode control

Abstract

Introduction. Hybrid electric vehicles are offering the most economically viable choices in today's automotive industry, providing best solutions for a very high fuel economy and low rate of emissions. The rapid progress and development of this industry has prompted progress of human beings from primitive level to a very high industrial society where mobility used to be a fundamental need. However, the use of large number of automobiles is causing serious damage to our environment and human life. At present most of the vehicles are relying on burning of hydrocarbons in order to achieve power of propulsion to drive wheels. Therefore, there is a need to employ clean and efficient vehicles like hybrid electric vehicles. Unfortunately, earlier control strategies of series hybrid electric vehicle fail to include load disturbances during the vehicle operation and some of the variations of the nonlinear parameters (e.g. stator’s leakage inductance, resistance of winding etc.). The novelty of the proposed work is based on designing and implementing two robust sliding mode controllers (SMCs) on series hybrid electric vehicle to improve efficiency in terms of both speed and torque respectively. The basic idea is to let the engine operate only when necessary keeping in view the state of charge of battery. Purpose. In proposed scheme, both performance of engine and generator is being controlled, one sliding mode controllers is controlling engine speed and the other one is controlling generator torque, and results are then compared using 1-SMC and 2-SMC’s. Method. The series hybrid electric vehicle powertrain considered in this work consists of a battery bank and an engine-generator set which is referred to as the auxiliary power unit, traction motor, and power electronic circuits to drive the generator and traction motor. The general strategy is based on the operation of the engine in its optimal efficiency region by considering the battery state of charge. Results .Mathematical models of engine and generator were taken into consideration in order to design sliding mode controllers both for engine speed and generator torque control. Vehicle was being tested on standard cycle. Results proved that, instead of using only one controller for engine speed, much better results are achieved by simultaneously using two sliding mode controllers, one controlling engine speed and other controlling generator torque.