Abstract
Report summary:
Topics Covered Include:
- Application Trends by Vehicle Type
- Electrification Architectures
- Infrastructure Implications
- Business and Cost Analysis
- Technology Trends
- Standards and Regulations
A study done by the Institute of Transportation Studies at the University of
California, Davis, found that a total of 573,681 hybrid vehicles (cars and
small trucks) were sold in the United States from December 1999 through August
2006. Their study projected roughly 800,000 units in 2010, and 2 million in
2015. The market for vehicle electrification goes beyond gconsumerh
transportation, however, and includes a number of applications that are
already primarily electric (such as golf carts and forklifts). It also
includes vehicles that are starting to adopt hybrid and electric powertrains,
such as buses.
The level of hybrid electrification among vehicle types varies among
application and classes, with most architectures based on either the series or
parallel hybrid configurations. With the increased attention on
hybrid-electric vehicles (HEVs) and plug-in hybrids, more companies are
expected to offer hybrid powertrains, along with related components and
modules.
Most of the work related to the impact of vehicle electrification on the power
infrastructure has focused on plug-in hybrid vehicles (PHEVs). Numerous
assessments have supported an optimistic outlook for the impact of PHEVs on
the existing grid. The National Renewable Energy Laboratory, the Pacific
Northwest National Laboratory and the Electric Power Research Institute are
examining demands to the existing electricity grid in the US, and what
technologies need to be incorporated into the vehicles themselves. General
Motors and Ford partnerships have been announced, with others planned.
Still, issues remain for power supply components used in HEVs. Reliability,
including dual cooling and thermal management; system integration; battery
management; and power electronics challenges, including dc-dc
converters/inverters, EMI, resistor grids and transient smoothing, are still
being addressed.
Finally, formal safety and performance standards apply to HEVs and related
systems. Those standards fall under two broad categories: government
regulations and industry standards such as those issued by the Society of
Automotive Engineers. Standards related specifically to HEVs and PHEVs are
still few and are expected to emerge over the next few years. In some cases,
they are likely to be added to existing standards.
Countries Covered: Global Analysis
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