Analysis of operation modes for a neighborhood electric vehicle with power sources hybridization

Electric vehicles will have a fundamental place in sustainable mobility due to its very high efficiency and local/global emissions levels. To accomplish this role, both high power and high energy sources are desirable. In spite of recent advances in battery technology, this was not yet achieved and power sources hybridization can be a way to accomplish it. This is particularly true in the case of urban electric vehicles with very frequent speed variations and where regenerative braking can play an important role. In this paper the operation modes for a neighborhood electric vehicle with power sources hybridization are analyzed to define the convenient control strategy for its DC-DC converters. A system simulation is performed and an energetic analysis of different energy sources mix is done considering different acceleration requests. This is used to obtain a maximum energetic efficiency equation that can be used to optimize the control of the DC-DC converters.