Battery Sizing for Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles in Beijing: A TCO Model Based Analysis

Cong Hou,Hewu Wang,Minggao Ouyang

doi:10.3390/en7085374

Abstract

This paper proposes a total cost of ownership (TCO) model for battery sizing of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs). The proposed systematic TCO model innovatively integrates the Beijing driving database and optimal PHEV energy management strategies developed earlier. The TCO, including battery, fuel, electricity, and salvage costs, is calculated in yearly cash flows. The salvage cost, based on battery degradation model, is proposed for the first time. The results show that the optimal battery size for PHEVs in Beijing is 6–8 kWh. Several additional scenarios are also analyzed: (1) 10% increase in battery price or discount rate leads to an optimal battery size of 6 kWh, and 10% increase in fuel price shifts the optimal battery size to 8 kWh; (2) the longer and more dispersive daily range distribution in the U.S. increases the optimal battery size to 14 kWh; (3) the subsidy in China results in an optimal battery size of 13 kWh, while that in the U.S. results in 17 kWh, and a fuel savings rate based subsidy policy is innovatively proposed; (4) the optimal battery size with Li4Ti5O12 batteries is 2 kWh, but the TCO of Li4Ti5O12 batteries is higher than that of LiFePO4 batteries.

Highlights

Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) are very popular these days. They have the advantages of both battery electric vehicles (BEVs) and hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) [1]
When the battery is charged through grid electricity, the PHEV operates like a BEV with high powertrain efficiency and no emissions
A system level analysis model of the total cost of PHEVs that innovatively integrates the Beijing driving pattern database, the optimal PHEV energy management strategies earlier developed by the author, the battery degradation model developed by the author’s team, and the utility factor weighted fuel consumption evaluation proposed by SAE standards, has been proposed

Summary

Introduction

Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) are very popular these days. They have the advantages of both battery electric vehicles (BEVs) and hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) [1]. When the battery is charged through grid electricity, the PHEV operates like a BEV with high powertrain efficiency and no emissions. When the battery is discharged, the PHEV operates like an HEV without the anxiety of electric range. This new configuration introduces many advantages, it brings challenges. Battery sizing is one of the main challenges [2,3]. This paper aims to establish a method to determine the optimal battery size for PHEVs

Objectives

Results

Conclusion