Converting an electric all-terrain vehicle into a hybrid vehicle with range extender

Abstract

In this paper a full electric all-terrain vehicle (ATV) owned by the automotive laboratory of Universiti Teknologi Malaysia is converted into a series hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) with a range extender. Before the transformation, it is required to predetermine the amount of power that should be used to extend the autonomy of the battery. Experiments are conducted to define the vehicle parameters and characteristics for the development of the simulation model. By using the developed model, simulations are conducted by considering NEDC cycle for a work-commuter who wants to use a vehicle 5 hours per week (30 min one way) without having to charge the battery. It is assumed that the battery is charged at the beginning of the week and must not be discharged under 0.2 state of charge (SOC) for safety reasons. Two control strategies are considered to obtain this objective; the always on engine and the delayed use of the engine. After simulation both controls use the same amount of fuel. As conclusion, the addition of the engine is proven to be effective in prolonging the distance range of the vehicle.