Electric vehicle (EV) power optimization strategies

Abstract

The rising concern about the global warming, emission of the hazardous gases and limited sources of the fossil fuel has made an electric vehicle one of the most topics that catch the attention of the researchers and automotive companies. However, as everyone concern, electric vehicle is driven or powered by the rechargeable battery that can only withstand certain period of time and the time taken for battery to be fully charged will take quite a long time. Therefore, in this project, the power consumption of the electric vehicle will be calculated and predicted. This will assist the driver to predict how long the vehicle can travel before the battery needs to be charged again. There are two variables that are manipulated in the calculation, the speed of the vehicle and also the gear used. Based on the two parameters, the driver can devise a strategy to optimize the power consumption of the vehicle by selecting the most suitable speed and gear when driving. Besides, this project is focusing on the algorithm development and there will be no simulation or hardware implementation involved. The calculation involves several types of the forces which includes the rolling resistance force, aerodynamic drag resistance force, climbing and downgrade resistance force and also the acceleration force. Beside the forces, the slopes of the roadway are also taken into consideration since the angle of elevation of the roadway is significantly affect the accuracy of the calculation. As a result, the power consumption of the vehicle can be predicted and therefore, the driver can estimate how far the vehicle can travel with fully charged battery. In additions, the driver also can choose the right strategy in order to optimize the power consumption.