Mission Statement

Mission Statement

PVEA PROGRAMS/PROJECTS

A MEDIUM-DUTY, HYBRID-ELECTRIC FLEET VEHICLE DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM

College of Engineering

San Diego State University

I. PROGRAM STATEMENT

A team of faculty, graduate students, and undergraduate students from the College of Engineering at San Diego State University (SDSU) and consulting partners from Ford and Chrysler, proposes development of a medium duty, modular, reduced-weight hybrid-powered urban delivery fleet vehicle to serve as a comparative standard for medium duty, service and delivery fleet technology development. Our team also proposes development of associated design, energy management and control technologies that will result in both consumer satisfaction and enhanced energy savings.

The SDSU test vehicle will provide the emerging industry of medium-duty hybrid transportation with a rational evaluation standard for future technology development. Various auto makers and organizations have already demonstrated the fuel efficiency of individual components of "clean" passenger and transit vehicles with vastly lower emissions than today's automobiles. However, improvements to conventional automotive technology which may make vehicles more efficient have been associated with compromises in overall vehicle performance, safety, cost, or marketability. Previous efforts to simultaneously optimize all the components of vehicle improvement have been hampered by the lack of a practical benchmark and test bed. The SDSU proposal would implement a whole-system, engineering-design strategy to create a test bed that incorporates the best practical elements from participating industries and bridges the gap between available technical excellence and commercial viability.

GOALS

The overall technical goals of the project are to demonstrate an efficient, low-emission, urban fleet vehicle. The test vehicle must meet both rigorous performance and efficiency requirements because such a vehicle would also be more attractive in the commercial market. To reach this goal, teams of students will research and analyze specific technology components of the vehicle. These research teams include the following areas:

Body and chassis - what material (carbon fibers, fiberglass, other materials) should be used for the body and chassis? How much will it weigh? Is it aerodynamic? How much cargo capacity is required. Can modifications be made in future vehicle generations to improve the aerodynamics and reduce weight?

Auxiliary power unit (APU) - what type and capacity of APU should be used? External or internal combustion? How can fuel cells be used in future vehicle generations?

Energy storage - what is the most efficient (and space-saving) method to store energy? This research group will investigate types of batteries, flywheels, and ultra capacitors.

Motor and motor controller - Given that the vehicle will likely use non-traditional batteries, the team will search for the most efficient and scaleable way to convert stored energy into motion to drive the vehicle's wheels.

Control and control strategy - One of the most challenging tasks will be coordinating the separate functions into an operational vehicle. The project team plans to use virtual instrumentation software to manage information, make decisions and continually optimize soft vehicle parameters during driving.

Integrated product design and development - One research team will employ the most modern design and enterprise management tools to speed geometric and functional modeling, prototyping, and aerodynamic analysis. Available tools at SDSU include Pro/ENGINEER, stereolithography, and NREL's Advisor, to name a few.

Technical Goals of the Project

Our technical goals are the demonstration of fuel efficient, low-emission, and crash-worthy vehicle technology with performance, cargo capacity, and manufacturing potential comparable to current fleet service and delivery vehicles, including:

Emissions well below California's ultra-low emission vehicle (ULEV) standards, and ultimately meeting the California Air Resources Board's proposed "Equivalent Zero Emission Vehicle" or "EZEV" standards, which may be as low as 10% of ULEV.

Fuel economy for a medium-duty urban vehicle comparable with the PNGV goal for mixed-use passenger vehicles of 80 miles per gallon in typical service.

Fully laden acceleration from 0-60 miles per hour in 12.5 seconds or less.

Range, handling, and ride quality comparable to current vehicles in this class.

Consistent performance in normal use without unusual degradation under adverse conditions.

Appropriate payload and cargo space for vehicles in this class.

Ease of use and customer features comparable to current fleet vehicles.

Plausible cost-effective manufacturability.

III. ENERGY SAVINGS AND BENEFITS

Estimated energy savings resulting from use of a representative medium-duty hybrid electric vehicle for one year are summarized below. Expected energy savings are even more substantial when extrapolated to levels of nationwide fleet participation and for more liberal estimates of annual mileage.

FUEL ENERGY CONTENT
Gasoline or Diesel	129,000 BTU/gallon
Alternative Fuel	9,667 BTU/gallon
Length of Project (years)	1 years
Length of Project (miles)	6,000 miles
EXISTING VEHICLE (diesel or gasoline powered)
Annual miles	30,000 miles/vehicle
Average gasoline or diesel fuel economy	12 miles/gallon
Number of diesel or gasoline powered vehicles	1
Annual Fuel consumption	2500 gallons/vehicle
Annual energy consumption	323 million BTU/vehicle
PROPOSED HYBRID ELECTRIC VEHICLE
Annual miles	30,000 miles/vehicle
Average gasoline or diesel fuel economy	50 miles/gallon
Number of alternative fuel powered vehicles	1
Annual fuel consumption	600 gallons per vehicle
Annual energy consumption	77 million BTU/vehicle
ANNUAL NET ENERGY SAVINGS	245 million BTU per vehicle per year

Indirect benefits of this project are potentially large. Hybrid electric vehicle developments in the medium-duty class should spur further development of more competitive and affordable vehicles in all classes. Research into optimal design and control of hybrid energy conversion systems may benefit electric utility, light rail, surface ship and other technology segments. Given that undergraduate and graduate engineering students will perform the heart of this project's research, the long-term benefits of this effort may be the development of leaders in transportation technology research; leaders destined to make significant future contributions to the development of environmentally-friendly, high-performance vehicles.

The project provides the following long term benefits for the University, the State of California and our citizens:

An opportunity for SDSU students to gain hands-on experience in the design and production of a fully functional hybrid-electric vehicle.
A ready and appropriate test platform for emerging technologies such as hydrogen fuel cells, smart highways, and artificial intelligence.
Continuance of automotive design and engineering excellence at SDSU.
Contributions to the strengthening of California's high-technology economy.
Demonstration of the viability of alternate-fueled medium-duty service vehicles.

IV. RESTITUTION/TARGETED POPULATION

The targeted population includes both the citizens of San Diego region and the nation at large. All individuals and organizations that purchase or use hybrid electric vehicles or derived technologies enhanced by the SDSU effort will receive de facto restitution for violations of oil pricing regulations that occurred between 1973 and 1981. Hybrid electric vehicles are one answer to clean air and efficient use of scarce resources for the targeted population. In addition, the San Diego region will benefit as San Diego State University solidifies its reputation as a "center of excellence" for the research and development of hybrid electric vehicles.

V. TASKS/ MILESTONES

The project will begin with concurrent conceptual, layout and detail design of a hybrid electric test vehicle for purposes of system integration and evaluation. The test vehicle will be systematically modified toward meeting the above stated goals, with opportunities for testing and evaluation as either sub components or a fully functional vehicle at the conclusion of each task. Later tasks will result in a medium-duty vehicle body and chassis design based on program proven subsystems with cargo space, range, payload and manufacturability appropriate for fleet use. When completed, the test vehicle is expected enter service around the SDSU campus to permit gathering of performance and reliability data. Each phase will be documented for presentation at national symposia on vehicle technology.

The following tasks/milestones and their selected subtask descriptions outline the steps required for completing this project:

Task Description

Program Kick-off (Due Date: September 1998)

Organize activities supporting program launch

Finalize financial details

Hold public meeting to organize local and regional involvement

Finalized cooperative alliance with two or more vehicle OEMs and a local medium-duty fleet vehicle user (Due Date: October 1998)

Accept TRW and Kyocera donations

Establish auto maker dialog

Find fleet user for team

Design of a working hybrid electric test vehicle and procurement of components for purposes of system integration and evaluation (Due Date: December 1998).

Benchmark

Perform concurrent preliminary design selection

Create packaging design model

Analyze structural integrity

Select and purchase subsystems
Research into optimal design and control issues and creation of software tools and archival literature (Due Date: July 1999).

Create LabVIEW control and data acquisition software

Create performance simulator for hybrid vehicle

Build, modify or purchase size-appropriate APU
Vehicle integration and systematic modification toward meeting the set goals (Due Date: May 1999).

Assemble subsystems

Assemble vehicle

Integrate peripherals

Test systems
Design of medium-duty body, chassis and system configuration for cargo space, range, payload and manufacturability. (Due Date: April 1999).

Benchmark similar efforts

Resolve constraints

Design using program experiences

Specify components and processes
Draft Final Report preparation and submission (Due Date: September 1999).

Demonstration of hybrid electric test vehicle performance and reliability (Due Date: September 1999).

Road test

Evaluate design and manufacturability
Final Report preparation and submission to Sponsoring Agency (Due Date: October 1999).

Public Workshop at close of program (Due Date: November 1999)

Organize and promote event

Coordinate with university and local activities relevant to Energy
Publication of results in national conferences under the following special condition (October 1999 - September 2000):

Commission acknowledges Recipient's interest to develop and disseminate knowledge and to present and publish scholarly works. Recipient acknowledges that the report to be prepared under Task 9 of the Work Statement is for Commission purposes as expressed in the Work Statement.

Recipient agrees that the report identified in Task 9 of the Work Statement shall not be made public without first providing a copy of the report to the Commission Project Manager for review and comment at least thirty (30) days prior to the report's publication date or public dissemination date, whichever occurs first. The Commission Project Manager's comments shall be addressed as part of Recipient's final report and each report shall include the following statement:

This report was prepared as a result of work sponsored by the California Energy Commission (Commission). It does not necessarily represent the views of the Commission, its employees, or the State of California. The Commission, the State of California, its employees, contractors, and subcontractors make no warranty, express or implied, and assume no legal liability for the information in this report; nor does any party represent that the use of this information will not infringe upon privately owned rights. This report has not been approved or disapproved by the Commission. Nor has the Commission passed upon the accuracy or adequacy of the information in this report.

VI. PROJECT MANAGER

The project manager for the SDSU Hybrid Electric Vehicle project is Dr. James Burns, College of Engineering, San Diego State University, 5500 Campanile Drive, San Diego, CA 92182.

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HEV Team
Department of Mechanical Engineering
San Diego State University
5500 Campanile Dr.
San Diego, CA 92182-1323
Fax: (619) 594-3599
E-mail: hev@kahuna.sdsu.edu