ADVISOR Tool

Aim:

To study about the vehicle simulation using ADVISOR tool by providing extra load, changing the battery capacity and performing the gradeability test on a particular vehicle.

Objective:

1. For EV_defaults_in file, if cargo mass is 500 kg with all other default conditions, can the vehicle travel for 45 km with FTP drive cycle? Conclude your observations.
2. In the above case, try changing the battery capacity and repeat the simulation.
3. Perform gradeability test with PRIUS_Jpn_defaults_in file. Compare your results in table and conclude.

Theory:

ADVISOR, NREL’s ADvanced VehIcle SimulatOR, is a set of model, data, and script text files for use with MATLAB and Simulink. It is designed for rapid analysis of the performance and fuel economy of conventional, electric, and hybrid vehicles. ADVISOR also provides a backbone for the detailed simulation and analysis of user defined drivetrain components, a starting point of verified vehicle data and algorithms from which to take full advantage of the modelling flexibility of Simulink and analytic power of MATLAB.

You may benefit from using ADVISOR if you want to:

• estimate the fuel economy of vehicles that have not yet been built
• learn about how conventional, hybrid, or electric vehicles use (and lose) energy throughout their drivetrains
• compare relative tailpipe emissions produced on a number of cycles
• evaluate an energy management strategy for your hybrid vehicle’s fuel converter
• optimize the gear ratios in your transmission to minimize fuel use or maximize performance, etc.

The models in ADVISOR are:

• mostly empirical, relying on drivetrain component input/output relationships measured in the laboratory, and
• quasi-static, using data collected in steady state (for example, constant torque and speed) tests and correcting them for transient effects such as the rotational inertia of drivetrain components.

ADVISOR was preliminarily written and used in November 1994. Since then, it has been modified as necessary to help manage the US DOE Hybrid Vehicle Propulsion System subcontracts. Only in January 1998 was a concerted development effort undertaken to clean up and document ADVISOR.

Since then, over 4500 individuals have downloaded one or more versions of ADVISOR, including all of the OEMs and major suppliers. About 2/3 of the users are from industry and 1/3 from universities. A short list of major ADVISOR users includes:

• DaimlerChrysler
• Ford Motor Company
• General Motors Corp.
• Delphi Automotive Systems
• Visteon
• and hundreds of others

Model 1:

We open the advisor tool in the MATLAB software and then we have to check whether EV_defaults_in file can carry a cargo load of 500 kg, with FTP drive cycle for a distance of 45 kms.

Initially we set the cargo mass to 500 kg and keeping all the other parameters to be the same default values which can be seen vehicle input window as shown in the figure below.

Next we will change the drive cycle from default condition to FTP drive cycle. This FTP drive cycle will run our vehicle for a distance of 17.7 km as simulation which can be seen in the simulation parameters windows as shown in the figure below.

Since, we need to check if our vehicle can carry the load of 500 kg to a distance of 45 kms we will change the number of plots to 3 in the simulation parameters window as shown in the figure below.

Now after we run the simulation, we can see that the total distance which the vehicle can travel carrying a 500 kg cargo is 41.4 kms. So, we can conclude that the EV_defaults_in file carrying a cargo mass of 500 kg using the FTP drive cycle cannot travel up-to a distance of 45 kms which can be seen in the results window as shown in the figure below.

Model 2:

For our next question we must assume the same case as the previous question but we have to change the battery capacity and repeat the simulation. We can the power of the battery (kW) from the default charge of 25 kW to 26 kW keeping the simulation parameters same and after we run the simulation, we can see that the vehicle can travel to a distance of 42.7 kms.

If we increase the power capacity of the battery furthermore to 27 kW, we can see that the vehicle can travel up-to a distance of 44.8 kms.

Finally, if we keep the power capacity of the battery to 28 kW our vehicle we travel for a distance of 46.8 kms.

Hence, we can conclude that if the EV_defaults_in file carrying a cargo mass of 500 kg using the FTP drive cycle the battery capacity of 28 kW is required to travel a distance of 45 kms.

Model 3:

For our last question, we must perform the gradeability test on the PRIUS_Jpn_defaults_in file where we can keep the input parameters in default condition and procced to the simulation parameters window.

In our simulation parameters window, we need to check the gradeability test option and set the conditions using the grade options tab.

After we click the grade options tab, we can set the speed of the vehicle (mph) for a particular time (s) and check for the gradeability of the vehicle. Initially, we set the speed to be 20 mph and the time to be 10 s. And we select the all systems enabled from energy storage disabled under enable/disable systems.

Now if we run the simulation, we can see the gradeability at 20 mph (32.2 kmph) to be 50.2 % in the results window.

Similarly, we will be running the simulation for different speeds and we can see the values of gradeability (%) for the respective speeds.

Simulation at 10 seconds
Input Speed (mph)	Gradeability (%)
20	50.2
30	42.1
40	33.4
50	23.7
60	19.8

From the table we can conclude that as the speed increases the gradeability of the vehicle decreases for a particular time.

Result:

1. We have checked that for the EV_defaults_in file, if the cargo mass is 500 kg with all other default condition and using the FTP drive cycle the vehicle cannot travel for a distance of 45 kms.
2. We can observe that for as the power capacity of the battery increases the distance which can travelled by the vehicle also increases.
3. We have performed gradeability test with PRIUS_Jpn_defaults_in file and computed the results in a table.