Retrofitting a used car with hybrid electric propulsion system

This paper presents a design concept of converting a conventional used car to a hybrid electric vehicle (HEV). The existing propulsion system using an internal combustion engine(ICE) was replaced by an electric drive, which is supplied by batteries and an on-board generator. The propulsion system is configured as a series-hybrid concept. The input energy can come either from the on-board generator driven by a small combustion engine or from a battery charger powered by a household plug. The on-board generator is controlled manually. The driver can select to run in the hybrid mode or in the electric mode. A prototype car was retrofitted using the designed concept. Its functionality was validated by experimental results.