Development of the Power Generator for Series Hybrid Electric Vehicle

The goals for the SHEV (series hybrid electric vehicle) such as transit bus and truck are to achieve increased fuel economy, while reducing emissions and maintaining the functionally of the heavy duty vehicle. The power generator is used as an important component of backup power systems in a series hybrid system which is one type of electric hybrid propulsion systems devised to enhance the fuel efficiency of a vehicle. The developed power generator (PG) system is for the vehicle system application. The system is composed of a diesel engine and a 60 kW induction generator and their control units. The traction motor is driven by a battery bank that is in parallel with power generator. The DC output of the system is driven to the high voltage DC link with a battery bank and supplies electrical power to charge the battery bank or to power loads in the DC link. This paper describes the power generator system's specifications, the control block diagram and the result of fuel efficiency tests carried out to evaluate the system's performance in reduction of fuel consumption.