Development of Low-Cost Electronic Control Unit for Hybrid Electric Vehicle

The surmounting perplexities of the energy resources are posing a continuous threat to mankind, thus making it a mandate to switch to alternate sources of energy. This reiterates the importance of feasible renewable energy. Electric Vehicles (EVs) have witnessed multifaceted growth and effectively use microcomputers to establish a strong connection between the vehicle’s various parts. Every vehicle has a central controlling unit known as the Electronic Control Unit (ECU), which mediates between the end user (driver) and the various subsystems of the vehicular system. ECU unit has mechanisms to control the various parameters and units like speed, safe distance, and battery. The theme of this article revolves around developing a low-cost and effective Electronic Control Unit for a Hybrid Electric Vehicle. The work involves software implementation of the Electronic Control Unit, considering the parameters like Throttle Control, Battery, and Speed. The modeling is carried out using MATLAB Simulink environment. Finally, hardware implementation of the Electronic Control Unit (ECU) subsystem that measures and displays the speed of the Brushless DC Motor, excited from a 12V battery through a Three-Phase Inverter using an Arduino Uno microcontroller.