Author : K. V. Narayanaswamy

 
Increasing trend of vehicle population and the challenge of meeting the stringent emission norms, it is required to improve fuel economy and help develop environmentally-friendly vehicles. On the other hand, new technologies in automotive domain contribute to a substantial increase in the electrical power consumption in vehicles. This research article deals with the design and development of Vehicle Electrical Energy Management System (VEEMS) which dynamically controls the charging voltage of the alternator and cuts off the accessory electrical loads. The challenge of maintaining the system energy in balance is met by optimal use of the battery energy based on the drive conditions and its temperature & state of charge. The VEEMS control strategy is designed identifying the deficiency zones in the typical drive cycle of the vehicle with conventional charging system. The system components were selected and modeled and the designed control strategy is implemented in MATLAB Simulink. The MATLAB Simulink models are integrated with the vehicle simulation model built using AVL ADVISOR. The vehicle model is simulated for the NEDC, FTP and DUDC drive cycles, with and without VEEMS. The results obtained from simulation indicate that the VEEMS has a potential to improve the fuel economy to the tune of 1.5-5 % in the drive cycles tested. The pay back analysis showed that the system is cost effective for the increase in fuel price. The pay back analysis showed that the system is cost effective for the increase in fuel price.

Keywords: Vehicle, Energy management, Fuel economy, Charging control, Drive cycle

Article published in International Journal of Current  Engineering  and Technology, Vol.3,No.2 (June- 2013)