Detailed Analysis of U.S. Department of Energy Engine Targets Compared to Existing Engine Technologies

The U.S. Department of Energy, Vehicle Technologies Office (U.S. DOE-VTO) has been developing more energy-efficient and environmentally friendly highway transportation technologies that would enable the United States to burn less petroleum on the road. System simulation is an accepted approach for evaluating the fuel economy potential of advanced (future) technology targets. U.S. DOE-VTO defines the targets for advancement in powertrain technologies (e.g., engine efficiency targets, battery energy density, lightweighting, etc.) Vehicle system simulation models based on these targets have been generated in Autonomie, reflecting the different EPA classifications of vehicles for different advanced timeframes as part of the DOE Benefits and Scenario (BaSce) Analysis. It is also important to evaluate the progress of these component technical targets compared to existing technologies available in the market. This paper will present an approach based on a large-scale simulation process, where simulations are performed over standard regulatory driving cycles for different vehicle classes over a range of timeframes by implementing the technology advancement targets set by the U.S. DOE-VTO. This approach would further evaluate the potential impact of different VTO engine targets for different technologies and provide a comparison with existing engine technologies available in the market.