Electrical variable transmission for hybrid off-highway vehicles

The push for less emissions has driven transportation towards electrification. The electrical variable transmission is a promising emerging component that has proven to be successful in passenger vehicles and is being considered in this paper for off-highway vehicles. By electromagnetically coupling the internal combustion engine with the wheels, allowing independent rotation, the engine is kept in its optimal operating range. This paper benchmarks the electrical variable transmission to one of the most successful hybrid topologies: the Toyota hybrid system. Flanders Make’s Hybrid Electric Drivetrain CoDesign framework is being used to ensure optimal control decisions for both. Results show that the electrical variable transmission may reduce fuel consumption by 30% and total cost of ownership by 10%