Simulation based study of battery electric vehicle performance in real world cycles

Abstract

The development of battery electric vehicles (BEV) must continue since this offers the leading route towards zero emission transport. However the limited range and high cost of the BEV remain important issues to be addressed. The battery is the element which strongly affects its cost and range. The batteries offer either high specific power or high specific energy, but not both. This paper presents the modelling of a BEV which is used to study the potential for improvement in its energy efficiency. The battery model types have been discussed. The vehicle and other component models have been described. The choice of model parameters and the control strategy has been explained. The simulations have been performed on homologation and real world cycles for different scenarios. Results show significant potential for improvement in the energy efficiency of the BEV in real world usage by the utilisation of a secondary energy storage device.