Design of a Flexible Hybrid Powertrain Using a 48 V-Battery and a Supercapacitor for Ultra-Light Urban Vehicles

Global warming has put the transport sector, a major contributor of CO₂ emissions, under high pressure to improve efficiency. In this context, ultra-light vehicles weighting less than 500 kg, as well as hybrid powertrains, are nowadays seen as promising development trends. The design process of the powertrain of a vehicle combining the advantages of the two concepts is presented in this paper. Through a performance study based on a simple MATLAB model, and mathematical simulation, a proposal is made. A powertrain using a battery and supercapacitor 48V dual power source network, two electric motors and clutches to switch between conventional, parallel, series and full electric modes proves to be an interesting system in terms of performance and costs. A simulation study conducted on a scenario with different outcome possibilities showed that high modularity of the system allows to achieve fuel efficiencies equivalent to approximately 3 l/100 km on the Artemis cycle. Finally, integration, packaging and cost are considered and some hints for further powertrain efficiency improvements are presented.