Intelligent Control of Hybrid Electric Vehicles Using GPS Information

Hybrid Electric Vehicles (HEVs) are projected as one of the solutions to the world's need for cleaner and more fuel-efficient vehicles. The efficacy of a Hybrid Electric Vehicle lies in its control strategy. The diligent use of the two power sources, namely the internal combustion engine (ICE) and the electric motor (EM) determines the fuel consumption, the emissions output, and the charge-sustaining behavior of the vehicle, while still maintaining drivability. In this paper, a tunable control structure is developed that enables one to determine the torque split between the IC engine and the electric motor based on efficiency and emissions. Traffic and elevation information from Global Positioning Systems (GPS) over an entire trip is assumed to be known and is used in an adaptive fuzzy logic controller (FLC). An instantaneous control strategy for a parallel HEV is continuously modified based on future driving conditions. Preliminary investigation into this type of predictive control shows promising results, when change in speed or elevation is encountered.