Characterization of a hybrid electric mobility as a service vehicle

Abstract

This thesis focuses on work done during the first two years of the EcoCAR Mobility Challenge Competition. Georgia Tech is one of 12 schools participating with the goal of building a hybrid electric mobility-as-a-service vehicle with SAE level 2 autonomy by the end of the four-year competition. The first year of the competition is focused on modeling and research to choose a hybrid architecture that the team will build and refine during the next three years of the competition. A pre-built Simulink vehicle model was modified to investigate architectures of interest, validated against published fuel economy data, and then used to compare the fuel economy of several possible hybrid vehicle architectures with varying components. The Simulink model, packaging analyses, and other metrics deemed important by the team were used select a P0P4 parallel through-the-road hybrid as the team’s hybrid vehicle architecture. Year 2 of the competition focused on modifying the donor vehicle, a 2019 Chevrolet Blazer, based on design decisions made during Year 1. The design, analysis, and integration of a mount for one of the vehicle’s electric machines is detailed in this paper. A topology optimization software was used to refine the design of the mount and a finite element analysis was performed to ensure the mount could withstand competition required load cases. A similar process was used for the various other components that were designed and built by student team members during Year 2 of the competition. A brief overview of the vehicle’s low voltage (LV) electrical system and controller area network (CAN) is also discussed.