Enhanced plug-in hybrid electric vehicles

Abstract

Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) have the potential to reduce fossil fuel use, decrease pollution, and allow renewable energy sources for transportation, but their lithium ion battery subsystems are presently too expensive. Three enhancements to PHEVs are proposed here that can improve the economics. First, the incorporation of location information into the car's energy management algorithm allows predictive control to reduce fuel consumption through prior knowledge of the upcoming route and energy required. Second, the use of the vehicle battery while parked, offsetting the short peaks in commercial-scale facility electrical demand to reduce demand charges, can provide additional revenue to pay for the battery. Third, the battery cycle life must be maximized to avoid high replacement costs; a model of battery wear out for lithium ion batteries is presented and is used to confirm that the above strategies are compatible with long battery life.