Abstract
This paper presents comparisons of simulated fuel economy for parallel, series, and dual-mode hybrid electric long-haul trucks, in addition to a conventional powertrain configuration, powered by a commercial 2010-compliant 15-L diesel engine. The results indicate that both parallel and dual-mode hybrid powertrains are capable of improving fuel economy by 7-8%. However, the fuel economy for the simulated series hybrid truck is substantially less than not only the other hybrid trucks, but also conventional trucks. When advanced efficiency technologies for low aerodynamic drag and tire rolling resistance are combined with hybridization, the fuel economy benefit is increased by more than 15%. Long-haul hybrid trucks with reduced aerodynamic drag and rolling resistance have lower peak engine loads, better kinetic energy recovery, and reduced average engine power demand compared to conventional trucks. Thus these results indicate that hybrid technology for future long-haul trucks with load reduction technologies has the potential to yield greater fuel energy savings than are possible with current truck technologies.
