Evaluation of the Through-the-Road Architecture for Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicle Powertrains

This paper investigates the through-the-road (TTR) powertrain architecture and its suitability for plug-in hybrid-electric vehicles (PHEVs) in the passenger vehicle category. The advantages and disadvantages of this architecture with respect to cost, sizing, control and manufacturability are contrasted against those of conventional architectures. The comparison extends into powertrain configurations used in recent commercial vehicles, such as the Toyota Prius and the Chevrolet Volt. The research includes the characterization of the mechanical dynamics and constraint equations of each architecture to quantify the control requirements. It is found that the TTR architecture excels in terms of manufacturability, and its ability to blend the motor and engine torques independently.