A Novel Power-Split Hybrid Electric Architecture for Off-Road Tracked Vehicles: Design and Performance Evaluation

2026-01-0258

4/7/2026

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Abstract
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Tracked off-road vehicles operate at low speeds with high tractive effort and frequent skid-steer maneuvers, conditions that push torque and power demand to extremes and exacerbate powertrain efficiency losses. Electrification can improve energy conversion and mobility for such duty cycles. This paper introduces a novel power-split hybrid electric architecture for a tracked vehicle and benchmarks it against three designs: a conventional mechanical driveline, a series hybrid, and a P2 parallel hybrid. To enable fair, architecture-agnostic comparisons, a supervisory controller based on Stochastic Dynamic Programming (SDP) schedules engine operation and power flow across all layouts under representative off-road scenarios, including skid-steer events, with varying terrain and power-demand profiles. Results show higher energy conversion efficiency (lower fuel use) for the proposed power-split architecture, followed by the parallel, then series, and lastly conventional configuration across missions. Beyond efficiency, the proposed architecture offers packaging and robustness advantages: compared with the P2 parallel it eliminates transmission and steering hydraulics, yielding a more compact driveline and compared with the series hybrid it enables smaller traction motors and a smaller battery pack for the same missions. Finally, by allowing the machines to operate below base speed for longer, it extends burst-mode operation without sustained field weakening, thereby reducing demagnetization risk. Study analyzes the reason behind these trends and discusses packaging considerations.
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DOI
https://doi.org/10.4271/2026-01-0258
Citation
Ghate, A., Sundar, A., Zhu, Q., Prucka, R., et al., "A Novel Power-Split Hybrid Electric Architecture for Off-Road Tracked Vehicles: Design and Performance Evaluation," WCX SAE World Congress Experience, Detroit, Michigan, United States, April 14, 2026, https://doi.org/10.4271/2026-01-0258.
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Publisher
Published
Apr 07
Product Code
2026-01-0258
Content Type
Technical Paper
Language
English