08/03/2019 Mild Hybrid Electric Vehicle (MHEV) – introduction – x-engineer.

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Mild Hybrid Electric Vehicle

(MHEV) – introduction
This article is the first part from a series of articles / tutorials in which
we are going to discuss about  Mild Hybrid Electric Vehicles
(MHEVs). The series is scheduled to have six parts, each one
focusing on some key aspects of the MHEVs:

MHEV – introduction
MHEV – topology (architecture)
MHEV – main components
MHEV – electrical architecture
MHEV – control functions
MHEV – examples

In this first part, we are going to discuss about the major trends in
automotive industry, why do we need mild hybrids and where MHEVs
position themselves in the big picture.

Automotive megatrends
Automotive industry is very dynamic, with innovative technologies
coming in at a very fast pace. There are several reasons for which the
technology inside a vehicle is changing continuously, with every new
model launched into market.

The development of the MHEVs is mainly driven by two factors:

Efficiency: CO2 (carbon dioxide) fleet emission targets

Fun to Drive: increasing demand of the vehicle’s dynamic
performance

Regarding CO2  emissions limits and targets, in many countries

around the globe, there are regulations in place for the amount of
CO2produced by road vehicles.

Image: Historical fleet CO2 emissions performance and current standards (in

g/km normalized to NEDC) for passenger cars
Credit: The International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT)

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Carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions  are gaining importance because

they contribute to the greenhouse effect of the planet and impact the
air quality. The International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT)
has published the current and future standards for fleet
CO2emissions (see image above).

From 2021 onward, the average fleet CO2  emissions, in European

Union, will be limited to 95 g of CO2 per km. Since CO2 emission are
directly related to fuel consumption, this translates in an average fuel
consumption rate of about 58.8 mpg (gasoline engines) or 65.3 mpg
(diesel).

Vehicle manufacturers (OEMs) have to ensure that the CO2 emission

average  of their new vehicle sales will meet these levels. Individual
vehicles  can be above or below the limit, but the fleet average must
be below or equal to the limit. If the car manufacturers  exceed the
fleet (average) limits, they’ll have to pay fines.

The conclusion is that, in order to reduce CO2 emissions, the engine

should have lower fuel consumption. Aftertreatmet systems will not
help this time, because they only transform the nature of chemical
components in the exhaust gas while maintaining the total mass of
molecules.

Image: Passenger car low carbon technology roadmap

Credit: Automotive Council UK

The only way towards meeting the CO2 limits for 2020 onward is to
be more energy efficient. Therefore, there are three main directions
for fuel economy improvements:

reduction of weight and losses (drag)

increase of powertrain efficiency
electrical hybridization of the powertrain

The Automotive Council from UK has come up with a roadmap of the

present and future automotive technologies, which have the final
purpose of CO2  emissions reduction.  As you can see, the
improvements on the vehicle and internal combustion engine

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efficiency are performed in parallel with the electrical hybridization of

the powertrain.

For the vehicle manufacturers there is a certainty that, by 2020, a

significant share of their vehicles models will be equipped with hybrid
or pure electric powertrains. This is the only feasible way to achieve
the average CO2 emissions limits.

Another significant major trend in the automotive industry is the  fun

to drive. This translates into higher expectations of the customers
with regards to the dynamic performance of the new vehicle models.

Image: Power density [kW/kg] vs. average acceleration [m/s2] for 0-100 km/h (all
segments), trend / prediction 2002 – 2015 – 2025 (C-segment median values)
Credit: Magna (Getrag)

According to Getrag (owned by Magna), the ratio between the energy

density of the powertrain and the average acceleration of the vehicle
has risen constantly over the years. Customers expect from their new
vehicles:

increased launch performance

boosting
immediate reaction

Due to its fast torque response, an  electric motor  is the perfect
candidate for these requirements. Coupled with an internal
combustion engine, the electric motor can provide torque assistance
and torque boosting to enhance the overall dynamic performance of
the powertrain.

MHEV definition
The general definition of a hybrid electric vehicle is the following:  a
hybrid electric vehicle is a vehicle with at least two sources of energy,
one of each is electrical and reversible. For a good understanding of
the types of hybrid electric vehicles read the article  Understanding
micro, mild, full and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles.

Apparently it’s easy to define a Mild Hybrid Electric Vehicle (MHEV),

 but most of the sources give an incomplete definition. When looking
into the types of hybrid electric vehicles, we need to consider the
following key aspects:

the electrical power available (e. g. 15 kW)

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the voltage of the high voltage battery (e.g. 48 V)

the fuel consumption / CO2 reduction potential (e.g. 15 %)
the functions performed by the electric machine (e.g. torque
boost)

A Mild Hybrid Electric Vehicle (MHEV) is defined by a combination of

the key aspects defined above.

Image: What makes a mild hybrid electric vehicle (MHEV)

Credit: Continental

where the vehicle segments are:

A – Subcompact cars
B – Compact cars
C – medium cars
D – Large cars
E – Premium cars

According to Continental, a MHEV is defined by:

an available electrical power between 10 – 20 kW

a high voltage battery of 48 V
a fuel consumption / CO2 saving potential between 13 – 22 %
(compared with a conventional vehicle)

Cost  is another major factor which impacts the level of electrical

hybridization of a vehicle. Since the introduction of the electrical
components comes with a higher cost, the level of hybridization
depends on the vehicle segment. Smaller, cost competitive vehicles
will have the minimum level of electrical hybridization integration,
because of the impact on the overall price of the vehicle.

In the MHEV automotive market, there are currently two major

categories for the operating value of the high voltage network:  48
Vand up to  160 V. The focus is shifting towards the 48V solution,
which will become the standard solution for MHEV. A mild hybrid
electric vehicle is also defined function of the operating modes that
can be performed. In the table below you can see a synthesis of the

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different levels of vehicle hybridization, function of their energy

properties and control functions (operating modes).

Micro MHEV  HEV

Hybrid

Topology Regular BiSG TiMG CiSG Powersplit

starter

Electric 2-4 10-15 < 21 15- 25-60

power [kW] 20

Operating 12 48 48 < 150-350

voltage [V] 160

Cold engine Yes No Yes Yes Yes

cranking

Idle Stop & Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes

Start

Moving Stop Optional Optional Yes Yes Yes

& Start

Engine load Optional Yes Yes Yes Yes

shift

Torque No Yes Yes Yes Yes

assist (fill)

Torque No Yes Yes Yes Yes

boost

Sailing / No Optional Yes Yes Yes

Coasting

Energy Optional Yes Yes Yes Yes

recuperation

Brake No Optional Yes Yes Yes

regeneration

Electric  No No Optional No Yes

driving /
creep

External No No No No No
charging

Legend:
BiSG – Belt-integrated Starter Generator (engine side)
TiMG – Transmission-integrated Motor Generator (transmission side)
CiSG – Crankshaft-integrated Starter Generator (between engine and transmission)

As you can see in the table above, there are different “flavours” of
MHEVs, the main difference being the topology (architecture) and the
bus voltage. Depending on the positioning of the electric machine
(engine side, between engine and transmission or transmission side)
different  control function  can be performed. The TiMG MHEV
topology has the highest flexibility in terms of control functions /
driving modes, being similar to a full hybrid electric vehicle (HEV).

Becasue of their advantages, 48V MHEV systems are entering the

mass market. The biggest advantages of the 48V technology are: the
relatively simple integration  in the existing vehicle architectures and
the high efficiency of the components.

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Image: Transition from 12V to dual voltage 12V-48V architecture (BiSG)

Credit: Continental

A 48V MHEV system has four main components:

electric machine (BiSG or TiMG)

inverter (usually integrated with the electric machine)
DCDC converter
high voltage (48 V) battery

To minimize the integration cost of a 48V hybrid system, the impact

on the conventional vehicle and transmission architecture should be
kept to a minimum. The  BiSG MHEV system  introduces the fewest
changes on the existing vehicle architecture, therefore is the most
cost effective hybridization solution.

Image: Estimation of market penetration of hybrid electric vehicles by 2030

Credit: Continental

According to Continental, in the foreseeable future, there will be

a  continuous increase of market share  for hybrid and pure electric
vehicles (PHEV and pure EV). The biggest increase is expected to
come from the 48V MHEV architectures, which will reach around 25
million units sold, until the year 2030.

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