Series hybrid vehicle system analysis using an in-wheel motor design

Hybrid vehicles, which employ a technology combining gasoline and electric motors, are a hot item these days for transporters looking for ways to cut their fuel bills. To date, commercial systems implement diesel assisted electrical drives. As such the electrical motor is placed in a series or parallel configuration to assist the combustion engine. In the series configuration, the generator mounts directly to the engine, and most of the engine power is converted into electric energy to drive the traction motors at the axle/wheel ends. This enables the exclusion of the mechanical drive path between the engine and the drive wheels.