—The majority of the hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) available on the market are power-split hybrid vehicles with a single planetary gear (PG), including the popular Toyota Prius and Chevy Volt. Although both vehicles use a single PG, they have different configurations with different number of operating modes. The Prius has no clutch and has a single operating mode, whereas the Chevy Volt uses ...

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) evaluated the performance of diesel, compressed natural gas (CNG), and hybrid electric (equipped with BAE Systems’ HybriDrive propulsion system) transit buses at New York City Transit (NYCT). CNG, Gen I and Gen II hybrid electric propulsion systems were compared on fuel economy, maintenance and operating costs per mile, and reliability. These comp...

The two primary functions of a vehicle climate control system are safety through de-icing and de-fogging windows, and occupant thermal comfort. However, vehicle air-conditioning systems can significantly impact fuel economy and tailpipe emissions of conventional and hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) and reduce electric vehicle (EV) range. In order to meet the new U. S. Supplemental Federal Test P...

We examine the possibilities for a "greener" car that would use less material and fuel, be less polluting, and would have a well-managed end-of-life. Light-duty vehicles are fundamental to our economy and will continue to be for the indefinite future. Any redesign to make these vehicles greener requires consumer acceptance. Consumer desires for large, powerful vehicles have been the major stumb...

Hybrid-electric school buses became available in the US through a national consortium designed to bring hybrid-electric school buses to market by creating enough demand among school districts to encourage manufacturers to invest in development of the technology. A number of school districts in the US joined the HESB project to purchase plug-in hybrid-electric school buses. Sixteen hybrid-electr...

New fuel economy standards require newU.S. passenger vehicles to achieve at least 34.1miles per gallon (MPG) on average by model year 2016, up from 28.8 MPG today. In this paper, the magnitude, combinations and timings of the changes required in U.S. vehicles that are necessary in order to meet the new standards, as well as a target of doubling the fuel economywithin the next two decades are ex...

Tea industry plays a major part in the economy of the North Eastern region of India. About 54% of the tea produced in India comes from North East region. The energy requirement of the industry is high and is being provided by utilization of conventional fuel till now. But the increasing prices of fossil fuel have affected the economy of the industry and the production prices have gone up. This ...

A multi-mode power-split (MMPS) hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) has two planetary gearsets and clutches/grounds which results in several operation modes with enhanced electric drive capability and better fuel economy. Basically, the battery storage system is involved in different operation modes to satisfy the power demand and minimize the fuel consumption, whereas the complicated operation modes...

Mild hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) take some benefits of full HEVs while having lower initial cost and weight, making them a more viable proposition for OEMs looking to enter the hybrid market. The popularization of mild hybrid electric vehicles (HEV) has exposed a new research potential in hybrid energy management. The optimal control of fuel economy in such a configuration is hard to achiev...