Abstract

Electric cars have the disadvantage of a limited range, and drivers may experience a range anxiety. This range anxiety can be solved by adding a range extender. But, the range extender should be light so as not to significantly increase the weight of the original vehicle. In urban areas with dense traffic (usually developing countries), the average speed around cities is typically lower than 50km/h. This means, the rolling resistance losses are more important than aerodynamic losses, and a weight reduction results in a bigger electrical range. Therefore, smaller and lighter range extenders are of much interest. The contribution of this paper is to indicate the possibility of range extenders with less than 25 kg with a capacity of 150 to 200 cc to suit a condition where weight counts. In this paper, the cost, environmental and grid impacts of going electric are also discussed. The effect of high altitude and driving style on the performance of an electric vehicle is assessed. The challenges and opportunities of vehicle electrification between countries with decarbonated power generation and fossil fuel dominated power generation are highlighted. Throughout the article, the case of Ethiopia is taken as an example.

Abstract

The objective of this paper is to illustrate the benefits of the influence of the steam and oxyhydrogen gas (HHO) on the composition of emitted exhaust gases and energy usage of operating the internal combustion engine (ICE) that drives a generator-powered battery electric vehicle (BEV). The employed internal combustion generating sets can be used as trailer mounted electric energy sources allowing one to increase the range of BEV vehicles, mainly during long distance travel between cities. The basic configurations of hybrid and electric propulsion systems used in a given Electric Vehicles (xEV) includes all types of Hybrid Electric Vehicles (xHEV) and Battery Electric Vehicles (xBEV), which are discussed. Using the data collected during traction tests in real road traffic (an electric car with a trailer range extender (RE) fitted with ICE generators (5 kW petrol, 6.5 kW diesel), a mathematical model was developed in the Modelica package. The elaborated mathematical model takes into account the dynamic loads acting on the set of vehicles in motion and the electric drive system assisted by the work of RE. Conducted tests with steam and HHO additives for ICE have shown reduced (5&ndash 10%) fuel consumption and emissions (3&ndash 19%) of harmful gases into the atmosphere. Document type: Article

Abstract

Road transport is recognized as having a negative impact on the environment. Policy has focused on replacement of the internal combustion engine (ICE) with less polluting forms of technology, including battery electric and fuel cell electric powertrains. However, progress is slow and both battery and fuel cell based vehicles face considerable commercialization challenges. To understand these challenges, a review of current electric battery and fuel cell electric technologies is presented. Based on this review, this paper proposes a battery electric vehicle (BEV) where components are sized to take into account the majority of user requirements, with the remainder catered for by a trailer-based demountable intelligent fuel cell range extender. The proposed design can extend the range by more than 50% for small BEVs and 25% for large BEVs (the extended range of vehicles over 250 miles), reducing cost and increasing efficiency for the BEV. It enables BEV manufacturers to design their vehicle battery for the most common journeys, decreases charging time to provide convenience and flexibility to the drivers. Adopting a rent and drop business model reduces the demand on the raw materials, bridging the gap in the amount of charging (refueling) stations, and extending the lifespan for the battery pack. Document type: Article