Efficient Energy Utilization in Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles using Fuzzy Logic Controllers

Abstract

Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV) provide an appealing choice over conventional vehicles by reducing emissions and fuel consumption. This work provides an efficient methodology to improve the energy utilization efficiency of PHEV power train using fuzzy logic. The design of fuzzy logic controllers is responsible for the power split control between IC engine and electric motor in hybrid mode and gear shifting control of the IC engine. The effectiveness of the proposed methodology is further illustrated using the result comparison with fuel consumption and emission levels with and without the fuzzy controllers with the help of the ADVISOR tool of MATLAB software, which is utilised in benchmark studies to evaluate fuel consumption and emissions. Parameters such as torque required, state of charge, effective engine speed, and engine temperature are considered for efficient energy utilization. The efficacy of the proposed method clearly shows considerable reduction in fuel consumption and unburned hydrocarbons, nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions under the Urban Dynamic Driving Schedule (UDDS).