Analysis of the energy consumption of the powertrain and the auxiliary systems for battery-electric trucks

Abstract: The electrification of the truck is crucial to meet the strategic vision of the European Union (EU) to contribute to net-zero greenhouse gas emissions for all sectors of the economy and society. The battery-electric truck is very efficient to reduce the emissions and has also a lower Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) compared to diesel trucks. Thus, the energy consumption of the battery-electric truck needs to be analysed in detail, and the differences in the conventional powertrain, recuperation by regenerative braking during driving and charging during standing, need to be considered. This master thesis aims to analyse the energy consumption of the battery-electric truck during driving and standing charging. For driving cycle simulation the Vehicle Energy Consumption calculation TOol (VECTO) and MATLAB are used. Different variations, such as payload, rolling resistance, air drag, and Power Take Off (PTO), are considered in the driving cycle simulation. The driving cycle simulation is verified by calculating the energy balance and compared with the on-road test results. For the standing charging simulation, MATLAB is used to analyse the charging loss with different battery packs and charging speeds. The results are shown with the Sankey diagram and other illustrative tools. Seen from the simulation results, the usable energy of the battery pack is enough for the truck to complete the designed driving cycle. The main loss in the powertrain is the Power Electronic Converter (PEC) and the electric machine. To increase the range and reduce energy loss, using a higher efficiency PEC and electric machine is an efficient method. For the charging simulation, the current Combined Charging System (CCS) standard charging station can charge the battery-electric truck with adequate voltage and reasonable charging time. The main loss during the charging comes from the charging station.