Comparative analysis of energy flow and emissions in electric and engine-driven modes of a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle

Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) are increasingly recognized as a viable alternative to traditional internal combustion engine vehicles, with the goal of reducing energy consumption and pollutant emissions in the transportation sector. Nevertheless, significant gaps persist in the existing research regarding the energy consumption and emissions of PHEVs. This study investigates the energy consumption and emissions of a PHEV using a chassis dynamometer in a laboratory environment. We conducted experiments and analyses on energy flow, energy consumption, CO₂ emissions, and gaseous pollutant emissions from automobiles. Our findings indicate that during PHEV operation, the battery voltage ranges from 320 to 370 V, while the current fluctuates between −200 and 200 A, with voltage and current trends exhibiting opposite behaviors. The energy consumption of the vehicle when powered by electricity is significantly lower than that when driven by the internal combustion engine. Specifically, energy consumption in charge-sustaining (CS) mode, which involves the combined operation of the battery and engine, is more than twice that in charge-depleting (CD) mode, where only the battery is utilized. However, the CS mode demonstrates a greater potential for energy recovery compared to the CD mode, particularly when operating at an initial state-of-charge (SOC) of 23.3 %, where the power supplied exceeds the consumed power by approximately 19.37 %. Nevertheless, the integration of electric power in PHEVs significantly mitigates carbon dioxide emissions.