Evaluation of advanced automotive electrical system architectures using MAESTrO

The capabilities of the present 12-V point-to-point electrical system architecture are being changed by the electrical load and fuel efficiency requirements of the next-generation of automobiles. Furthermore, with the advent of electric and hybrid vehicles, there is a greater next to develop low-cost architectures which reduce the weight, increase the efficiency and improve the reliability of the electrical system. Although a large number of alternative architectures have previously been suggested, they have not been evaluated rigorously. Hence, it is not clear what concept or combination of concepts will allow the system to meet its performance objectives at minimum cost. This paper uses the software tool MAESTrO to design advanced electrical system architectures and identify those that have superior performance and are economically competitive.