A novel approach for fast assessment of energy efficient powertrain configurations in electric vehicles

For electric vehicles, improving energy efficiency and reducing energy consumption is the consistent goal of the development. In this paper, we present an approach, which is used to assess the energy efficient powertrain configurations of electric vehicles at an early stage of development. First, model-based power loss estimation of the powertrain is performed. It uses basically only parameters in free accessible data sheets of the components to estimate power losses, which makes the parameterization of the analytical power loss models easier. Second, the process of generating a powertrain configuration regarding the design requirements of electric vehicles is presented. Different component types in component library lead to a number of powertrain configurations, which should be compared quantitatively regarding their energy efficiencies. Finally, a novel selection diagram is presented. With this diagram, the most energy efficient configuration for any driving profile can be quickly located in this diagram.