Deterministic and fuzzy logic control of through-the-road split-parallel hybrid electric vehicle

A certain configuration of hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) is the split-parallel hybrid, whose internal combustion engine (ICE) and electric motor provide propulsion power to different axles. The vehicle is also referred to as a `through-the-road´ (TTR) hybrid, since propulsion power is coupled through the vehicle itself, its wheels and the road on which it moves. The electric motor can either be on board the vehicle or located in the wheel hubs, called in-wheel motors (IWM). The objective of a hybrid system is to reduce fuel consumption and emissions of the vehicle, while maintaining battery state-of-charge within certain levels, for a self-sustaining operation (non plug-in hybrid). The control problem consists of determining the sources´ operational status and power distribution at each instant of time. This work discusses deterministic rule-based and fuzzy logic control of the split-parallel hybrid, presents simulation results and compares performance between the two control strategies.