Mass Detection Using Piezoresistive Pressure Sensors to Optimize Range Prediction of Full Electric Buses

One approach to improve economic efficiency of trolleybuses in the so-called BOB Project in the German town of Solingen is to use them as mobile energy storages in a smart grid. To achieve this, reliable information on available energy is essential, which in turn needs to be derived from a precise range calculator. As will be shown in the paper, vehicle mass is a strong influencing factor, especially in urban traffic. Depending on passenger volume, the total mass and range of the bus varies by about 30 percent. Therefore, this paper presents a viable methodology to detect changes in payload using high precision tire pressure sensors.