Hardware-in-the-Loop Simulation for Hybrid Electric Vehicles – An Overview, Lessons Learned and Solutions Implemented

Rising fuel prices over the past few years have triggered an increased demand for Hybrid vehicles. These vehicles are considerably more fuel efficient than their conventional counterparts, and yet offer similar, if not improved performance. Electronic Control Units (ECUs) that control the energy flow through a Hybrid powertrain have played a major role in the success of this technology. Due to the complexity of these systems, ECUs need to go through extensive testing before installation in a prototype vehicle for on-road testing.

Hardware-in-the-Loop (HIL) simulation is a testing process that has proven to be an industry standard for ECU testing and validation. This paper briefly reviews the state-of-the-art technology in HEV’s, outlines a typical HIL simulator for Hybrid vehicle ECUs, and discusses the type of components required for testing the various aspects of a Hybrid controller. The lessons learned from real-world challenges faced during ECU testing and proven solutions to such problems are also discussed.