Energy- and Power-Split Management of Dual Energy Storage System for a Three-Wheel Electric Vehicle

Specific applications such as recreational vehicles require new developments with respect to their energy storage system (ESS). Despite some recent trends in battery development, the ratio between power and energy has not yet met the requirements of these specific kinds of vehicles. This paper presents the integration of a SuperCapacitors (SCs) pack in a three-wheel electric vehicle considering the energy- and power-split management strategy. An energy-management strategy based on a comprehensive fuzzy logic controller approach is fully addressed to increase the global efficiency and performance of the studied vehicle. The proposed control and management strategy ensures that the battery supplies the average portion of the power demand, while the energy level of the SCs is smartly handled. The proposed strategy is easily adaptable to other vehicles or different driving modes. The approach was validated with a power-level hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) platform for a reduced-scale hybrid dual ESS. This experimental test allows real-time verification of the proposed energy management and evaluates the ability to coordinate more efficiently the energy flow. The proposed approach enhances the battery lifetime by reducing the battery current root-mean-square (RMS) value by 12% compared to a battery-only architecture.