A Dual Energy Management for Hybrid Electric Vehicles

Electric vehicles (EVs) are gaining increasing recognition as an effective means to combat climate change and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Lithium-ion batteries have emerged as the prevailing choice for energy storage in the automotive industry, offering superior attributes to alternative battery technologies. In the context of EVs and hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs), the singular reliance on a single battery unit presents a challenge. Any fault within the battery impacts the vehicle's performance and raises concerns about its overall reliability. In an effort to enhance vehicle reliability, this paper introduces a novel approach that involves the use of multiple smaller battery packs to collectively match the capacity of a single, larger battery pack. Also, to effectively distribute power between the vehicle’s internal combustion engine and the various smaller battery packs utilized in the HEV configuration, this study proposes a dual energy management (EM) system. The first EM system allocates power between the engine and the battery packs with the primary objective of minimizing fuel costs. Meanwhile, the second EM system is responsible for distributing power among the different battery packs, aligning with the power requirements determined by the first EM system. To assess the viability and effectiveness of the proposed energy management solution, numerical simulations are conducted using MATLAB/Simulink. Two distinct scenarios are explored wherein the total capacity and the remaining capacity, often referred to as the State of Health (SoH), are varied for each of the smaller battery packs. Through these simulations, this paper aims to evaluate the practicality and performance of the designed energy management system under varying conditions.