Design studies of a series hybrid heavy-duty transit bus using V-ELPH 2.01

Series hybrid transit buses reduce significant fuel consumption and exhaust emissions as a result of regenerative braking and uniform engine operation. This study discusses the steps involved in designing series hybrid propulsion for a full-sized transit bus with simulation results for fuel consumption and emissions for urban drive cycle. The HEV research group in Texas A&M University has developed a computer simulation tool, V-ELPH, to facilitate the design and analysis of electric and hybrid vehicles. In this paper a design example for a 40' series hybrid heavy-duty transit bus is given in detail, from design specifications to complete design, using V-ELPH with supporting illustrative graphs.