Advanced Vehicle Testing Activity Research Articles

Test Results of the PLUGLESS™ Inductive Charging System from Evatran Group, Inc.

Laboratory testing is conducted on a wireless charging system by the Idaho National Laboratory in support of the U.S. Department of Energy's Advanced Vehicle Testing Activity. System efficiency and magnetic and electric field strength are measured during wireless charger operation over a wide range of conditions, including coil gap, offset alignment, and power transfer rate. Component surface temperatures are monitored at a full-power charge rate. The PLUGLESSTM inductive charging system from the Evatran Group, Inc. is tested in a laboratory setting and results are detailed. CITATION: Carlson, R. and Normann, B., Test Results of the PLUGLESSTM Inductive Charging System from Evatran Group, Inc., SAE Int. J. Alt. Power. 3(1):2014, doi:10.4271/2014-01-1824. 2014-01-1824 Published 04/01/2014 doi:10.4271/2014-01-1824 saealtpow.saejournals.org

Battery Electric Vehicle Driving and Charging Behavior Observed Early in The EV Project

As concern about society's dependence on petroleum-based transportation fuels increases, many see plug-in electric vehicles (PEV) as enablers to diversifying transportation energy sources. These vehicles, which include plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV), range-extended electric vehicles (EREV), and battery electric vehicles (BEV), draw some or all of their power from electricity stored in batteries, which are charged by the electric grid. In order for PEVs to be accepted by the mass market, electric charging infrastructure must also be deployed. Charging infrastructure must be safe, convenient, and financially sustainable. Additionally, electric utilities must be able to manage PEV charging demand on the electric grid. In the Fall of 2009, a large scale PEV infrastructure demonstration was launched to deploy an unprecedented number of PEVs and charging infrastructure. This demonstration, called The EV Project, is led by Electric Transportation Engineering Corporation (eTec) and funded by the U.S. Department of Energy. eTec is partnering with Nissan North America to deploy up to 4,700 Nissan Leaf BEVs and 11,210 charging units in five market areas in Arizona, California, Oregon, Tennessee, and Washington. With the assistance of the Idaho National Laboratory, eTec will collect and analyze data to characterize vehicle consumer driving and charging behavior, evaluatemore » the effectiveness of charging infrastructure, and understand the impact of PEV charging on the electric grid. Trials of various revenue systems for commercial and public charging infrastructure will also be conducted. The ultimate goal of The EV Project is to capture lessons learned to enable the mass deployment of PEVs. This paper is the first in a series of papers documenting the progress and findings of The EV Project. This paper describes key research objectives of The EV Project and establishes the project background, including lessons learned from previous infrastructure deployment and PEV demonstrations. One such previous study was a PHEV demonstration conducted by the U.S. Department of Energy's Advanced Vehicle Testing Activity (AVTA), led by the Idaho National Laboratory (INL). AVTA's PHEV demonstration involved over 250 vehicles in the United States, Canada, and Finland. This paper summarizes driving and charging behavior observed in that demonstration, including the distribution of distance driven between charging events, charging frequency, and resulting proportion of operation charge depleting mode. Charging demand relative to time of day and day of the week will also be shown. Conclusions from the PHEV demonstration will be given which highlight the need for expanded analysis in The EV Project. For example, the AVTA PHEV demonstration showed that in the absence of controlled charging by the vehicle owner or electric utility, the majority of vehicles were charged in the evening hours, coincident with typical utility peak demand. Given this baseline, The EV Project will demonstrate the effects of consumer charge control and grid-side charge management on electricity demand. This paper will outline further analyses which will be performed by eTec and INL to documenting driving and charging behavior of vehicles operated in a infrastructure-rich environment.« less

Ford Escape PHEV On-Road Results from US DOE’s Technology Acceleration and Deployment Activity

The Idaho National Laboratory (INL) conducts fleet data collection and analysis activities for advanced technology vehicles, including Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEV), as part of the US DOE’s Advanced Vehicle Testing Activity (AVTA). In 2009, data collection began for the Technology Acceleration and Deployment Activity (TADA) for which INL is conducting the data analysis and reporting. The Technology Acceleration and Deployment Activity includes twenty-one Ford Escape PHEVs operated by various fleets throughout the world. Data is collected from all twenty-one vehicles during driving and charging in order to understand the operation of the vehicle as well as the vehicle operator behavior. This paper discusses the overall results from a three year period of data collection from the twenty-one E85 capable Ford Escape PHEVs, which amounts to over 500,000 miles of operation. Multiple factors that impact the fuel economy and electrical energy consumption are presented including charging behavior, ambient temperature, driving style, accessory usage, and route type.

U.S. Department of Energy – Advanced Vehicle Testing Activity: Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle Testing and Demonstration Activities

The U.S. Department of Energy’s Advanced Vehicle Testing Activity tests plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV) in closed track, dynamometer, and on-road testing environments. The purpose of this testing is to determine the potential of PHEV technology to reduce petroleum consumption. It also allows documentation of PHEV driving and charging profiles and electric charging infrastructure requirements. As of March 2009, the Advanced Vehicle Testing Activity has initiated testing on 12 PHEV models from aftermarket conversion companies and original equipment manufacturers. In addition to performing controlled dynamometer and on-road testing, AVTA has collected in-use data from 155 PHEVs operating in 23 U.S. states and Canadian provinces. This fleet has demonstrated an average increase in cumulative fuel economy of 22 to 55% when in charge depleting mode, as compared to charge sustaining mode. Charge depleting range has varied from 32 to 64 miles, depending on the vehicle and battery pack. In ideal conditions, some vehicles have achieved monthly fuel economy results of 80 to 120 miles per gallon through frequent charging and less aggressive driving styles.

Correlating Dynamometer Testing to In-Use Fleet Results of Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicles

The Untied States Department of Energy is engaged in the research, development and deployment of PHEV technology through the “Advanced Vehicle Testing Activity.” In this program, data has been collected from a Prius PHEV converted by HymotionTM using industry standard dynamometer testing procedures and from in-use operation of fleets. Differences in fuel-only consumption rates observed in the on-road data compared to the dynamometer results were fairly dramatic. Correlations of the driving style and conditions of dynamometer testing and on-road conditions were made possible by comprehensive onroad loggers. A model was developed to infer driving intensity from the on-road dataset from data load measurement during dynamometer testing. The reasons for the shortfall are detailed in the paper. They range from driver aggressiveness, accessory loads, ambient temperature (weather), and the high sensitivity the control system exhibits with increased acceleration pedal demand and higher average cruising speeds.

Hybrid and plug-in hybrid electric vehicle performance testing by the US Department of Energy Advanced Vehicle Testing Activity

The Advanced Vehicle Testing Activity (AVTA), part of the U.S. Department of Energy's FreedomCAR and Vehicle Technologies Program, has conducted testing of advanced technology vehicles since August 1995 in support of the AVTA goal to provide benchmark data for technology modeling, and vehicle development programs. The AVTA has tested full size electric vehicles, urban electric vehicles, neighborhood electric vehicles, and hydrogen internal combustion engine powered vehicles. Currently, the AVTA is conducting baseline performance, battery benchmark and fleet tests of hybrid electric vehicles (HEV) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV). Testing has included all HEVs produced by major automotive manufacturers and spans over 2.5 million test miles. Testing is currently incorporating PHEVs from four different vehicle converters. The results of all testing are posted on the AVTA web page maintained by the Idaho National Laboratory.

US Department of Energy Hybrid Electric Vehicle Battery and Fuel Economy Testing

The advanced vehicle testing activity (AVTA), part of the US Department of Energy's FreedomCAR and Vehicle Technologies Program, has conducted testing of advanced technology vehicles since August 1995 in support of the AVTA goal to provide benchmark data for technology modelling, and research and development programs. The AVTA has tested over 200 advanced technology vehicles including full-size electric vehicles, urban electric vehicles, neighborhood electric vehicles, and internal combustion engine vehicles powered by hydrogen. Currently, the AVTA is conducting a significant evaluation of hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) produced by major automotive manufacturers. The results are posted on the AVTA web page maintained by the Idaho National Laboratory. Through the course of this testing, the fuel economy of HEV fleets has been monitored and analyzed to determine the ‘real world’ performance of their hybrid energy systems, particularly the battery. The initial fuel economy of these vehicles has typically been less than that determined by the manufacturer and also varies significantly with environmental conditions. Nevertheless, the fuel economy and, therefore, battery performance, has remained stable over the life of a given vehicle (160 000 miles).