Optimum flywheel sizing for parallel and series hybrid vehicles

摘要

Flywheels have the possibility of providing high turnaround efficiency and high specific power output. These characteristics are very important for the successful manufacture of parallel and series hybrid vehicles, which have the potential for providing high fuel economy and very low emissions with range and performance comparable to today's light-duty vehicles. Flywheels have a high specific power output, but relatively low specific energy output. Therefore, it is of importance to determine energy and power requirements for flywheels applied to light-duty vehicles. In this paper, a vehicle simulation code and a flywheel model are applied to the calculation of optimum flywheel energy storage capacity for a parallel and a series hybrid vehicle. A conventional vehicle is also evaluated as a base-case, to provide an indication of the fuel economy gains that can be obtained with flywheel hybrid vehicles. The results of the analysis indicate that the optimum flywheel energy storage capacity is relatively small. This results in a low weight unit that has a significant power output and high efficiency. Emissions generated by the hybrid vehicles are not calculated, but have the potential of being significantly lower than the emissions from the conventional car.