Abstract
The research in the field of urban passenger transportation emphasises in alternative fuels employment and electric buses. However, the difficulties in fuel supply and the development of better electrical storage systems results in a difficult application for todays vehicles. As a solution, hybrid electric buses are being studied to achieve better fuel economy and emissions.
To design a hybrid-electric bus, several considerations must be taken into account. The duty cycle and control strategies should be included from the beginning of the process as well as the drivetrain configuration. The optimal size of the genset and battery pack is a result of several factors that must be analysed to obtain the best drivetrain performance.
This paper presents the technological opportunities of hybrid electric vehicles applied to urban buses, and presents a computer model to simulate the behaviour of the hybrid electric bus.
The proposed model includes detailed sub-models of the internal combustion engine, electric motor, battery and vehicle dynamics that allow deeper studies of proposed configurations.
Conclusions are drawn from the simulation results to achieve a better design of the drivetrain.