Conventional Internal Combustion Engine Research Articles

Virtual Development of a Single-Cylinder Hydrogen Opposed Piston Engine

A significant challenge in utilizing hydrogen in conventional internal combustion engines is achieving a balance between NOx emissions and brake power output. A lean premixed charge (Lambda ≈ 2.5) allows for efficient and stable combustion with minimal NOx emissions. However, this comes at the cost of reduced power density due to the higher air requirements of the thermodynamic process. While supercharging can mitigate this drawback, it introduces increased complexity, cost, and size. An intriguing alternative is the 2-stroke cycle, particularly in an opposed piston (OP) configuration. This study presents the virtual development of a single-cylinder 2-stroke OP engine with a total displacement of 0.95 L, designed to deliver 25 kW at 3000 rpm. Thanks to its compact size, high thermal efficiency, robustness, modularity, and low manufacturing cost, this engine is intended for use either as an industrial power unit or in combination with electric motors in hybrid vehicles. The overarching goal of this project is to demonstrate that internal combustion engines can offer a practical and cost-effective alternative to hydrogen fuel cells without significant penalties in terms of efficiency and pollutant emissions. The design of this novel engine started from scratch, and both 1D and 3D CFD simulations were employed, with particular focus on optimizing the cylinder’s geometry and developing an efficient low-pressure injection system. The numerical methodology was based on state-of-the-art commercial codes, in line with established engineering practices. The numerical results indicated that the optimized engine configuration slightly surpasses the target performance, achieving 29 kW at 3000 rpm, while maintaining near-zero NOx emissions (<20 ppm) and high brake thermal efficiency (~40%) over a wide power range. Additionally, the cost of this engine is projected to be lower than an equivalent 4-stroke engine, due to fewer components (e.g., no cylinder head, poppet valves, or camshafts) and a lighter construction.

A study on a micro perforated panel applied luggage board design for road noise reduction

The automotive industry is on the age of rapid transformation from internal combustion engine vehicles to electric vehicles powered by motors. The main source of noise in conventional internal combustion engine vehicles is the engine, while electric vehicles are mainly affected by road and wind noise. A road noise in the medium and low frequency bands, caused by friction between tires and road surfaces, can be improved by increasing the thickness and weight of the insulation material. Still, this countermeasure causes other challenges that related to driving efficiency decrease because of limitations space and weight. As a new method to reduce road noise, therefore, the study introduces the luggage board which applied the micro-perforated panel system. This system utilizes a resonance-type sound absorbing material with excellent sound absorption characteristics at specific frequencies so that a tire pattern noise within the 800-1,000 Hz could be reduced. Because the thickness of the luggage board is partially limited, the study set a number of variations such as changing the porosity, perforated diameter in the perforated panel system. As a result, the study confirmed 2% improvement A.I. (Articulation Index) in the interior with installation of the designed luggage board on the vehicle.

Analytical Conversion of Conventional Car to Electric Vehicle Using 5KW BLDC Electric Motor

The automotive industry is witnessing a paradigm shift towards sustainable and eco-friendly transportation solutions. This project aims to contribute to this transition by converting a conventional internal combustion engine (ICE) car into an electric vehicle (EV) using a 5 kW Brushless DC (BLDC) electric motor. The conversion involves the removal of the traditional engine components and the integration of an electric propulsion system. The key components of the conversion include the BLDC motor, motor controller, battery pack, and associated power electronics. The BLDC motor is chosen for its efficiency, reliability, and compact design, making it suitable for retrofitting into existing vehicles. The motor controller manages the power supplied to the BLDC motor, ensuring optimal performance and efficiency. The project explores the challenges and solutions encountered during the conversion process, including adapting the vehicle's chassis to accommodate the new components, integrating a charging system, and addressing safety considerations. Additionally, efforts are made to optimize the overall weight distribution and maintain the vehicle's original handling characteristics. Performance testing is conducted to evaluate the acceleration, top speed, and overall efficiency of the converted electric vehicle. The results are compared with the original performance specifications of the conventional car to assess the success of the conversion. This project not only showcases the technical feasibility of converting conventional cars to electric vehicles but also highlights the environmental benefits associated with reducing reliance on fossil fuels. The findings contribute valuable insights to the growing field of electric vehicle conversions and promote sustainable transportation solutions.

A study on the influence of utilizing hydrogen at fuelling spark ignition engines

Abstract In the last 30 years, remarkable progress has been made in reducing pollutant emissions and fuel consumption in conventional internal combustion engines. Active and passive methods of reducing exhaust emissions have caused them to decrease significantly over the level of the 1980s. However, the problems of air pollution and the greenhouse effect are far from being solved. International organizations and institutions are pushing for measures to reduce emissions, especially the implementation of “zero-emission” (ZEV) vehicles. Due to its excellent combustion properties and the very low pollutant emissions resulting from its combustion, hydrogen is seen as an alternative fuel of the future. Hydrogen can be used as a fuel in two ways: in internal combustion piston engines or in fuel cells. Research into the use of hydrogen as a fuel for spark ignition engines is divided into two directions: additive fuel or a total gasoline substitution with hydrogen. Compared to the gasoline-powered engine, the fully hydrogen-powered engine runs more economically at low loads but it can create a decrease of performance at high loads due to the high volumes of space needed in the combustion chamber. Because of the very low density, high volumes of hydrogen are difficult to storage, requiring also high pressure, so running only on hydrogen wouldn’t be practical. Combining the advantages of the two fuels came the use of gasoline with addition of hydrogen. An important aspect is that emissions are significantly reduced due to the very good combustion properties of hydrogen and the high diffusivity that helps to form a homogeneous mixture. This paper presents aspects of fuelling a spark ignition engine with gasoline and hydrogen. The influence of hydrogen on the cylinder mixture, on the energy and emissions of the engine is analysed. We will focus on: engine power, fuel consumption, the level of pollutant emissions and greenhouse gases, at the studied regimes.

Moving Towards Sustainable Purchase Behaviour: Determinants of Consumers’ Acceptance of Electric Vehicles in Malaysia

Electric vehicles (EVs) are becoming more common in the transportation industry in recent times. However, the market share of EVs is still unrivalled by that of conventional internal combustion engine vehicles (ICEVs), particularly in developing countries such as Malaysia. This study seeks to investigate the factors of consumer acceptance of EVs in Malaysia. This study specifically investigates six selected factors that may have a significant role in determining EV acceptance. The research was conducted using a quantitative approach, with data collected via an online questionnaire survey among consumers using snowball sampling. Based on 243 valid responses, the findings revealed that environmental concern, energy efficiency of EVs, cost consideration of EV purchases, government policy towards EVs, availability of charging infrastructure, and social influence are positively and significantly associated with consumer acceptance. This study highlights the importance of improving the user experience, resolving practical issues, and emphasising the benefits of EVs to expedite the transition to sustainable and eco-friendly EVs in the context of developing countries.

Enhancing PEMFC Performance: Optimization of Hot-Pressed Decal Transfer Conditions for MEA Fabrication

Proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) hold significant promise in curbing greenhouse gas emissions within the transportation sector. While historically more expensive than conventional internal combustion engines, the cost per kW is poised to significantly drop as production volumes increase and the adoption of fuel cell electric vehicles progresses [1]. In heavy-duty vehicle applications, predictions suggest that hydrogen fuel cells will achieve a cost equivalence with diesel, potentially becoming the most cost-effective option when evaluating the total ownership expenses [2]. Membrane-electrode-assemblies (MEAs) serve as the core of fuel cells, where all reactions—proton and electron generation, distribution, and consumption occur. Their efficiency dictates both cell performance and lifespan. Various methods for fabricating MEAs have been developed, including decal transfer, catalyst-coated membrane (CCM), and catalyst-coated gas diffusion layer (CCG) techniques. Among these, the decal transfer method is widely regarded as the most appropriate for large-scale production of MEAs [3]. This study delves into an examination of diverse hot-pressed decal transfer conditions for the preparation of MEAs tailored for PEMFC application. Our investigation involves fabricating MEAs through hot-press decal transfer at temperatures spanning 115°C to 145°C and pressures ranging from 200 psi to 400 psi, each held for a 5-minute duration. Electrochemical characterizations were performed within a single-cell setup to assess MEA performance. Moreover, an accelerated stress test (AST) was carried out to scrutinize the stability of the fabricated MEAs concerning their decal transfer conditions and morphological variations. Our study extensively explored catalyst layers transferred under diverse hot-pressed decal transfer conditions, focusing on their fuel cell performance and transport properties. To comprehensively understand the influence of morphological alterations on electrochemical characteristics, additional morphological characterizations, including white light interferometer (WLI) imaging, field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) surface area analysis, and nano-computed tomography (Nano-CT) were employed for MEA evaluation. Our findings indicate that the MEA produced at 145°C and 200 psi exhibited superior performance in both pre- and post-AST testing. Comprehensive experimental results and insights will be elaborated upon during the conference presentation.

Carbon emission reductions in the University of São Paulo’s transportation sector using hydrogen-powered vehicles

The transportation sector, especially diesel-powered buses in Brazil, faces a significant decarbonization challenge, contributing with 19.76 million tCO2-eq GHG emissions. Therefore, this study aims to calculate the achievable GHG emission reductions by implementing renewable hydrogen vehicles at the University of São Paulo. The methodological approach considers low-carbon hydrogen production using the ethanol steam reforming route, where energy and mass balances are performed throughout the hydrogen chain. Two models are developed to calculate CO2-eq emissions. Results show that replacing the current fleet of conventional internal combustion engine buses with hydrogen-based options leads to a significant annual reduction of 2658 tCO2-eq, approximately an 83% reduction as compared to the conventional one. Moreover, the total energy conversion efficiency, well-to-wheel, reaches 26.9% and 11.8% for hydrogen and conventional vehicles, respectively, without air-conditioning system, or 21.9% and 9.9% when air-conditioning is coupled, respectively. Notably, CO2-eq emissions increase by at least 38.3% and 15.5% due to the presence of that equipment, respectively. Finally, the results of total cost of ownership (TCO) showed that CAPEX represents only 7.14% of the TCO, being the fuel cost the major proportion for both technologies.

Electrified fleet and infrastructure aware energy efficient routing

This paper presents an optimization framework to improve the energy efficiency and cost-effectiveness of fleets of commercial trucks operating pickups and deliveries in urban areas. As the electrification of transportation is moving from passenger cars to medium- and heavy-duty vehicles, the proposed analysis considers a fleet of pickup and delivery trucks that includes conventional internal combustion engine vehicles (ICEV), as well as battery electric vehicles (BEV), and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV). Given a set of pickups and deliveries, and a fleet including different types of vehicles, the goal is twofold: assign the best vehicle to each task, and solve the vehicle routing problem, i.e., find the optimal route to navigate the vehicle from the origin to the destination(s). To estimate the energy consumption of the different vehicles, vehicle dynamics are considered, together with actual charging infrastructure and road data, including speed limits, road grade, and stop signs. Moreover, the total cost of ownership (TCO) is evaluated to estimate the cost-effectiveness of different fleet compositions and operations. To solve this problem, a hybrid simulated annealing (HSA) heuristic algorithm is proposed. The algorithm is validated against a benchmark exact solver based on mixed integer linear programming (MILP). The proposed methodology achieves optimal results with a 1.2% optimality gap compared to the benchmark, surpassing MILP in computational efficiency. The research findings highlight how fleet composition and operational strategies can vary significantly based on whether the focus is on energy efficiency, total cost of ownership, or a combination of the two, also depending on the number of years of operation. Simulation case studies in the Columbus, OH area demonstrate that integrating fleet and recharging infrastructure information alongside energy savings in vehicle routing problem solutions can achieve 20% to 50% savings in fleet operation costs compared to solely optimizing for minimum energy consumption.

Ambient Temperature Effects on Energy Consumption and CO2 Emissions of a Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle

The ambient temperature affects the operation of different powertrain systems, including electric, hybrid electric, and internal combustion engines. This study investigated the effect of the ambient temperature on the energy consumption and CO2 emissions of a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle running in different powertrain modes. The vehicle was driven for 4150 km following a selected route 199 times in different powertrain modes and in different ambient temperatures ranging from −24 °C to 32 °C. Instantaneous and cumulative fuel consumptions were measured using a fuel flow meter, and the battery energy usage was determined from the vehicle telematics during each test. The total energy consumption and total CO2 emissions were affected by the ambient temperature in all powertrain modes, including electric, hybrid electric (charge-depleting and charge-sustaining), and conventional internal combustion engine modes. The highest increase was associated with the charge-depleting hybrid electric mode, with 350% and 290% increases in energy consumption and CO2 emissions when the ambient temperature dropped from 29 °C to −24 °C. The conventional internal combustion engine mode was the least affected, with only 7% and 8% increased in energy consumption and CO2 emissions, respectively.

Modeling, design and validation of DC-DC landsman converter for low-power electric vehicle battery charging applications

As the world moves towards sustainable development, the reduction of air pollution is considered an important factor. Consequently, the transportation sector is moving from conventional internal combustion engine vehicles to electric vehicles (EVs). To encourage EV usage, governments are working towards installing more public charging systems. These systems invariably use a DC-DC converter to ensure the supply of an appropriate voltage to charge the battery. In developing countries, the majority of users prefer electric bikes and electric rickshaws, which require low power. Therefore, it becomes necessary to use low-power converters suitable to charge these batteries. In such systems, non-isolated DC-DC converters play an important role. This work is intended to explore the use of the Landsman converter for EV battery charging. The motivation behind the work is explained, and the state of the art of EV battery charging research is reviewed to show the research gap. The operation of the proposed converter is explained in detail with its dynamic loop and nodal equations. The gain equation and the memory elements design are detailed with the corresponding equations. The model of the proposed converter is provided with the loss calculation. The system is simulated on MATLAB R2022b software, and the simulation results are provided to show the behavior of voltage and current in each component. To validate the design, a 100 W hardware prototype is implemented using discrete components to supply a resistive load, and to charge a 48 V Li-ion battery. The corresponding results are provided to validate the design and operation. A comparison of the proposed converters’ performance parameters with other non-isolated converters is provided. The topology is seen to provide an instantaneous efficiency of 88% during the prototype testing for resistive load, and an efficiency of 89.6% while charging a 48 V Li-ion battery, wherein, the efficiency magnitudes are the experimental values obtained through real-time measurements on Keysight IntegraVision Power Analyzer PA2203A, during the testing of the hardware prototype, as presented in section . Consequently, Landsman converter is seen to be an attractive converter for EV battery charging applications.

Total Cost of Ownership of Electric Car and Internal Combustion Engine Car with Performance Normalization

In the transportation sector, motorized vehicles are currently a contributor to pollution in Indonesia, producing CO2 emissions. In an effort to achieve environmentally friendly and low-carbon motorized vehicles, promoting electric cars to the public is an important strategy that is being pursued by countries throughout the world. The large target of converting ICE cars to electric cars requires a series of analyzes to accelerate efforts to convert the use of electric cars from various angles which will ultimately be successful as a promotional medium for potential electric car users. To carry out this analysis, there is one calculation method, namely calculating the total cost of ownership (TCO) of an electric car. This method has been studied in countries that are concerned with promoting the use of electric cars. In this research, we will present a calculation model for the TCO of electric cars and the TCO of conventional internal combustion engine (ICE) cars as a comparison. The cars analyzed in this research consist of several electric cars and ICE cars according to their respective performance levels, where for each electric car an analysis of several battery ownership schemes is also attempted, namely those owned by the car owner, rental batteries and those owned by the car owner. However, some components can be repaired. The calculation model will consist of capital and operational costs, namely the purchase price, resale value, government subsidies, retailer discounts, battery replacement costs, maintenance, insurance, vehicle tax and energy consumption costs. All data was obtained from literature studies and information from vehicle distributors in Indonesia. The TCO model is analyzed based on the average distance traveled, namely 20,000 km/year for 10 years of driving. The research results show that the TCO of BEVs with a rental battery scheme is cheaper than ICEs for cars with 93, 167 & 210 hp, namely 2,961; 6,227; & 5,633 (USD) and the TCO of ICE is cheaper than BEV with a rental battery scheme on cars with 40 & 95 hp, namely 796 & 5,793 USD. Several components that make up TCO costs will later be proposed to be considered for adjustment so that vehicle purchases can grow significantly. Knowledge from this research can be useful for consumers, product manufacturers, planners, and government policy makers.

Global Trends in Electric Vehicle Battery Efficiency and Impact on Sustainable Grid

Over the past decade, transportation electrification has emerged as a pivotal focus of the article. Electric vehicles (EVs) have progressively gained traction in the market, displacing conventional internal combustion engine vehicles. This surge in EV popularity has led to a corresponding increase in the number of charging stations, thereby significantly influencing the power grid (PG). Various charging strategies and grid integration approaches are being devised to mitigate the potential negative impacts of EV charging while optimizing the advantages of integrating EVs with the grid. This paper provides a comprehensive overview of the current state of the EV market, standards, charging infrastructure, and the PG’s response to the impact of EV charging. The article provides a comprehensive assessment of how forthcoming advancements in EV technology, including connected vehicles, autonomous driving, and shared mobility, will intricately influence the integration of EVs with the PG. Ultimately, the article concludes by meticulously analyzing and summarizing both the challenges and recommendations pertinent to the prospective expansion of EV charging infrastructure and grid integration. The proliferation of venture capital investments in nascent start-up ventures specializing in EV and battery technologies has experienced a pronounced surge, reaching an impressive sum of nearly USD 2.1 billion in 2022. This notable increase represents a substantial uptick of 30% compared to the figures recorded in 2021. Furthermore, these investments have been directed towards two key areas: advancements in battery technology and the acquisition of critical minerals. This discernible shift in investment trends underscores the growing recognition of the strategic importance and potential profitability associated with innovations in EV and battery technologies. In 2022, global expenditures on EVs surpassed USD 425 billion, marking a substantial 50% increase compared to the previous year, 2021. Remarkably, a mere 10% of these expenditures can be attributed to governmental support, with the bulk stemming from consumer investments.

Feasibility Study of Solar-Powered Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure at Selected Petrol Stations in Malaysia

The transition from the conventional internal combustion engine (ICE) to electric vehicles (EV) are expected to result in higher total electricity demand in the country. With the introduction of more EVs into the market, the need for charging stations will grow, subsequently increasing power consumption. This research study aims to assess the potential of solar energy production at petrol stations in central region of Peninsular Malaysia and assess the feasibility of solar-powered petrol stations in meeting the energy demands of electric vehicles. 10 samples of existing petrol stations are selected to install a solar-powered DC charging station as a case study. To study their energy consumption, 90kW DC charger was evaluated. The design of the PV systems for the petrol stations was done by using the PVsyst simulation software. As a result, it is found that 90% of the designed PV systems are able to generate enough energy to meet the estimated annual energy consumption of the 90kW DC charging system. The results also showed that the cost to install the solar-powered charging system for both power ratings can be recouped in less than 2 years. Overall, this research study offers valuable insights for addressing the rising energy consumption resulting from the increased penetration of electric vehicles in the future. Additionally, the implementation of solar-powered charging infrastructure aligns with the country’s renewable energy objectives and efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. However, the assessment of EV penetration and the adoption of charging infrastructure was conducted based on government targets rather than relying on current data regarding the actual numbers and trends of EVs and chargers in Malaysia. The availability of accurate and up-to-date data on the number of EVs, their battery characteristics, chargers, and user charging behaviors in Malaysia would contribute to further enhancing this research work.

Clean energy synergy with electric vehicles: Insights into carbon footprint

This study empirically examines the impact of Electric Vehicles (EVs) and clean energy adoption on carbon footprints. With growing concerns over climate change and the need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, the transition to electric vehicles and clean energy sources has gained significant attention as potential solutions. This research investigates the relationship between the adoption of EVs and clean energy technologies and their subsequent effect on carbon footprints. The study applied the Generalised Method Moments (GMM) on the data sourced from the International Energy Agency (IEA) and the World Development Indicators (WDI) for the period 2011–2021 covering 27 countries. The findings reveal a strong correlation between the adoption of EVs and reductions in carbon footprints. It shows that a 1 % increase in renewable electricity output would result in a 0.5 % decline in carbon footprints. This implies that, as EV sales increase, the overall carbon emissions from the transportation sector decrease, primarily due to the lower emissions associated with electric vehicles compared to conventional internal combustion engine vehicles. Additionally, the study finds that the integration of clean energy sources into the electricity grid further contributes to carbon footprint reductions. The use of renewable energy in charging EVs minimizes the indirect emissions associated with electricity generation. The research concludes that the widespread adoption of EVs and clean energy sources has the potential to significantly reduce carbon footprints and mitigate the impact of climate change. However, it emphasizes the importance of continued technological advancements, increased availability of charging infrastructure, and supportive government policies to accelerate the transition towards a low-carbon transportation and energy system. Therefore, the study highlights the need for collaborative efforts among governments, industry stakeholders, and individuals to foster sustainable practices and achieve a more environmentally friendly future.

A Green Vehicle Adoptions and Its Impediments: A Bibliometric Review

The green vehicle is responsible for considerably lower emissions than conventional internal combustion engine vehicles and is one of the important components of meeting global commitments on climate change. However, the consumers’ adoption is far beyond expectations. To this end, this paper contributes to the extant literature on green vehicle adoption and its impediments by assessing the publication trends and network visualization leveraging the bibliometric analysis method. Meanwhile, key research clusters are outlined and visualized to analyse the underlying knowledge structure. The 347 articles collected from the Scopus database were later analysed using bibliometric tools, VOSviewer, and Harzing’s Publish or Perish. The results presented in this paper assist researchers with a structured understanding and knowledge of green vehicle adoption research and its impediments.

Beyond the Current State of the Art in Electric Vehicle Technology in Robotics and Automation

The improvement of electric vehicles and their parts is currently the subject of several recent innovations, with an emphasis on advancements in batteries, energy management systems, autonomous features, and charging infrastructure. The current logistics and transportation (L&T) systems comprise heterogeneous fleets made up of both conventional internal combustion engine cars and other vehicle types that use environmentally friendly technology, such as electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles. This helps significantly to the development of the upcoming generations of electric vehicles and promotes a more sustainable and effective ecosystem. This article offers insights into the most recent advancements in the field of electric cars (EVs) as new and innovative EV technologies based on data and statistics from science that may prove to be technically possible by 2030. Potential design and modeling techniques, including digital twins with linked IoT, are discussed in this paper. Additionally, all EV-related topics are covered, including hard-core battery material sciences, power electronics, and powertrain engineering, as well as market and environmental considerations and prospective technological obstacles and research gaps. This investigation is interesting since it offers thorough information on every facet of EVs. In conclusion, we offer to the readers several open issues in the field of EV as well as specific research directions to wrap up our work.

Optimization of PEMFC pressure control using fractional PI/D controller with non-integer order: design and experimental evaluation

The fuel-based proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell is a promising technology for clean energy production owing to the several advantages including high efficiency (around 80% theoretical), quiet in operation, and almost zero emission as compared to conventional internal combustion engine. Only hydrogen and oxygen are supplied at the anode and cathode, respectively to generate power and water is produced as by product. However, it suffers to achieve its maximum theoretical efficiency due to lack of flow/pressure management of hydrogen and oxygen in the PEMFC stack which also causes flooding within the cell and reduce the performance of the catalyst and reduces the efficiency. The higher efficiency can be achieved with the proper control of the hydrogen and oxygen inlet flow rate and pressure at the PEMFC. Since it’s crucial to maintaining a consistent supply of exponential pressure, the main focus of this work is pressure regulation at the PEMFC cathode side. A fractional PI/D controller is designed to operate the PEMFC system more realistically. There are three primary objectives of this research work. In the first step, monitoring the PEMFC operating pressure to find out the suitable fractional PI-D controller for a given resilience level, which has the lowest Integration Absolute Error (IAE) to disturbances. The robustness level and/or threshold peak is considered as a tuning parameter for the evaluation. Second, compare the best IAE performance of the fractional PI-D controller with that of simple SIMC rules, where a certain level of resilience is achieved by varying the SIMC tuning variable. Through this comparison, the effectiveness of the recommended controller in achieving the optimal plant performance is evaluated. Thirdly, design a non-integer order PEMFC plant with a fractional controller using MATLAB software and compare the results with existing models. This comparison provides insight into the practical performance of the proposed controller. The results shows that the developed fractional PI/D controller is able to control the pressure very efficiently at the PEMFC cathode side. The findings further emphasise on the important to consider the resilience and robustness levels at the time of developing control systems for PEMFCs. The efficacy of the suggested unique technique is further confirmed by contrasting the suggested controller with the developed models.

Potential of Hydrogen Internal Combustion Engine for the Decarbonised Passenger Vehicle

CO2 regulations are becoming very stringent due to the goal of reducing greenhouse gases and achieving carbon neutrality. It has already become a common situation that electric vehicles are emerging as eco-friendly power systems rather than vehicles equipped with conventional internal combustion engines and their share in the market is increasing. However, even with an internal combustion engine, CO2 can be drastically reduced if a carbon-free fuel such as hydrogen is used. Raw nitrogen oxides (NOx) emissions can be overcome to a certain level through ultra-lean burn operation, but in order to balance the amount of hydrogen and air in the limited space of the combustion chamber, a drop in the engine’s maximum output should be accepted. Hyundai Motor Company (HMC) also previously developed an engine using hydrogen fuel (), but was unable to progress to mass production. Since then, hybrid technology has become popular, and with the development of hydrogen injection devices, an era has arrived where mass production becomes a possibility. For this reason, studies on internal combustion engines using hydrogen fuel based on existing spark ignition or compression ignition engines are rapidly increasing. In this study, a hydrogen fuel engine was designed and manufactured based on the mass produced gasoline spark ignition engine. CO2 level was confirmed from initial performance evaluation, and it was found that raw NOx levels and maximum power were in a trade-off relationship with each other under the same air-charging system application. In addition, the method to improve maximum engine torque was verified while maintaining the raw NOx level, and the maximum engine power improvement level was confirmed when raw NOx emissions were allowed to increase. Thereby the potential of the carbon-neutral internal combustion engine has been demonstrated.

Factors influencing household VMT considering differences between ICE and electric vehicles

AbstractThis study examines factors affecting household vehicle miles traveled (VMT) with a focus on the differences between electric vehicles (EVs) and conventional internal combustion engine vehicles (ICEVs). This study mainly utilizes detailed individual‐level data from the 2017 National Household Travel Survey‐California Add‐on (2017 NHTS‐CA). We first classify households into three groups such as (1) households with only ICEVs, (2) households with only EVs, and (3) households with both ICEVs and EVs. We then employ ordinary least square regression models to analyze the determinants of household VMT across three groups. Second, we focus on households with both ICEVs and EVs to look at the substitute patterns between ICEVs and EVs. We employ a fractional logit model to analyze the factors affecting the share of EVs' VMT in total household VMT. Key findings are as follows. First, households with only EVs tend to have lower household VMT than others. Second, available charging stations near residential locations lead to longer households VMT in households with only EVs. Third, employment density has different effects on household VMT by groups. For instance, high employment density leads to shorter household VMT in households with only ICEVs and with both ICEVs and EVs. On the other hand, high employment density reveals a statistically positive effect on household VMT in households with only EVs. Lastly, in households with both ICEVs and EVs, the share of EVs' VMT is likely to increase in total household VMT if EVs are used more for work trips and shopping/family errands.

Simulation methodology and numerical comparison of boxer and opposed free piston linear generator configuration in 0D/1D environment

Free Piston Linear Generators (FPLGs) are thermal machines suitable for both stationary power generation unit (PU) and vehicle propulsion. They convert chemical energy from the fuel into electric energy to charge a battery using a linear electric generator. Due to the reduction of friction losses and the ability to work with different compression ratios, FPLGs are potentially characterized by high overall global efficiency with respect to a conventional alternative internal combustion engine. Like conventional internal combustion engines, FPLGs have several configurations: single piston, dual piston, opposed piston and boxer are the configurations considered in this work. Two configurations are compared in this paper from a functional and energetic perspective: opposed piston (Opposed) and Boxer. This is done with the aim to highlights pro and cons of these configurations. They are modelled using the 0D/1D modelling coupling GT-Power® and Simulink®. The comparison between the two configurations was done modelling the architecture with the same size and in two-strokes operating mode. The comparison of the two configurations highlights differences between them in terms of scavenging process, thermodynamic efficiency and global energy efficiency, putting in evidence what aspects need to be improved for each configuration and what are their advantageous features. Boxer configuration can provide less power due to lower volumetric efficiency compared to the Opposed configuration. Boxer configuration can provide 102.2 kW while Opposed can provide 110.0 kW at full load with a frequency of 20 Hz (equivalent to 1200 rpm). The Opposed configuration results in lower heat loss but higher energy lost at the exhaust. The final balance shows that Boxer configuration has a slightly higher brake efficiency (equal to 28.9 %) compared to the value found for Opposed (27.6 %).