With increasing interest in the development of electric and hybrid-electric vehicles, the demand for comprehensive systems design and analysis to aid the development process is rising. The combination of fuel cells, batteries, and other energy-storage devices and their complex interactions with the other electrical components in a vehicle, require a sophisticated design approach. This paper will present a co-simulation-based design environment capable of simulating the overall system behavior in connection with a detailed electrical model. The design environment combines ADVISOR, a system-level vehicle design tool from NREL (National Renewable Energy Laboratory) and Ansoft's SIMPLORER®, a sophisticated design tool offering electrical, electromechanical, and control simulation capabilities. Automotive engineers can now predict efficiency and fuel economy of vehicle designs, power management strategies, and the electrical design in one integrated design environment. With SIMPLORER, engineers can simulate complete drive trains by combining fuel cells, batteries, power electronics, and electric motors in one model.
This paper shows the general design approach and the link between the design tools. As an example, the co-simulation between a system-level small car platform setup and its electrical system model is illustrated. Additionally, ways to simulate a drive-train configuration, including a fuel cell as a power source, the power-electronic converters, controls, and a detailed electrical machine model with mechanical loads will be shown.