Full electric and hybrid series vans: Cost, performance and efficiency evaluation for different powertrain layout

Electric and hybrid powertrains may represent an interesting solution for small vans and other commercial vehicles, to be used in urban environment. Thanks to the rapid development of powertrain technologies, different technical solutions can be investigated. As consequence, it is important the development of tools and methodologies to analyse and compare quickly the different variants under study. In this way, numerical simulations may represent an excellent solution to investigate relative pros and cons. In particular, in this work it is proposed a case study in which a simulation model based on Modelica language was developed, to analyse full electric and hybrid versions, having as reference an existing commercial van. The activity was performed in collaboration with the manufacturer, which provide also experimental data to validate the models.