Simulation of NEDC fuel consumption and performance of parallel and series hybrid vehicles using Matlab/Simulink

Abstract: With upcoming stricter emission legislations and increasing fuel prices reducing fuel consumption, i.e. CO2 emissions, are one of the driving forces behind development in the automobile industry. One solution to reduce fuel consumption is hybridization, giving the vehicle overall higher engine efficiency. In this thesis it has been investigated if it is possible to reduce fuel consumption via hybridization with maintained performance for different hybrid topologies and degree of hybridization. This is investigated by developing models in Matlab/Simulink which are used in the AVL rapid prototyping’s plant model. Results from the simulations shows that there are vehicle layouts that would comply with set demands (fuel consumption and performance) both when using parallel and series topology. The conclusion is that the fuel consumption reductions are large enough to make it interesting with hybridization, however further investigation is needed to determine if the increased costs would make hybridization beneficial.