Analysis of a fictive active e-trailer

摘要

Trucks consume an enormous amount of diesel annually and contribute greatly to the total CO_2 emission around the world. Electrification of these freight vehicles will lead to reduction of fuel consumption and CO_2 emission. Trailers as part of heavy freight vehicles are a great opportunity for innovative change. Electrifying the trailer allows the combustion engine of the truck to cooperate with the electric motors in the trailer. The trailer will be able to regenerate energy using the electric motors, which are built into the rear axis of the trailer. The regenerated energy will be stored in a battery power pack for later use. Using the principle of peak shaving, the combustion engine will be assisted by the active e-trailer. Peak shaving occurs when the calculated load [1] on the combustion engine is highly above average, for example during accelerating, climbing a hill or during high speed. Energy from the power pack will be routed to the electric motors, adding propulsive force. The analysis of the fictive active e-trailer is focused on the reduction of fuel consumption and emissions. The energy consumption of the trailer and the energy regeneration has been studied. For this analysis, two vehicle configurations have been simulated within MATLAB Simulink. One truck-trailer combination without the e-trailer application and one truck-trailer combination with the e-trailer applied. Differences between the two simulated vehicle combinations are analyzed and documented. The whole system is self-sustaining by using the regenerating energy from breaking. However, better results can be achieved by charging the power pack periodically. By doing so, the fuel cost and emission reduction can be increased significantly.