Modelling and design of super capacitors as peak power unit for hybrid electric vehicles

This paper reports about the design of a peak power unit for hybrid electric vehicles and the modelling of the power control strategy to optimise the drive train's performance. A common DC bus of the hybrid drive train is defined and was provided with a peak power unit using super capacitors, connected via a bi-directional DC/DC converter. This architecture allows a fast load response and a high efficiency of the total electric drive train. An optimised control strategy is needed to ensure an optimal distribution of the power flow between the peak power unit and the main energy source.