In 2019, passenger car CO2 emissions peaked at 3.2 billion metric tons globally. Despite efforts to curb vehicle CO2 emissions and the ambitious targets adopted for greenhouse gas mitigation in the European Union (EU), emissions from road vehicles increased steadily over the past decade. Electrified vehicles have gained significant market share in the last years and are an essential technical option to reduce CO2 emissions. Range anxiety and insufficient charging infrastructure limit electrified vehicles’ customer acceptance and market attractiveness. The use of auxiliary systems under certain circumstances may reduce vehicle range. In this regard, energy management improvements lead to better vehicle range results. As well-considered in numerous studies, the most consuming auxiliary system is the vehicle’s heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC) system, also known as Mobile Air-Conditioning (MAC). The present work explores the influence of different parameters on the energy consumption of the MAC system in plug-in hybrid vehicles (PHEV) and battery electric vehicles (BEV). For this purpose, one PHEV and one BEV were tested in laboratory conditions at different cell temperatures of −7°C (19.4°F), 22°C (71.6°F) and 35°C (95°F), over the Worldwide Harmonised Light vehicle Test Cycle (WLTC). Laboratory tests with the same conditions were repeated with MAC on and off for each temperature. For the reference 23°C (73.4°F) condition, additional factors affecting energy consumption were analysed, such as the impact of depleting/sustaining modes on the MAC performance in PHEV, or the effect of warm and cold start in PHEV and BEV. Results suggest that the electric energy required to heat the cabin at low temperature (−7°C) could be 4–10 times higher than the energy needed to cool down the cabin in hot conditions (35°C). Compared to the vehicle energy required at the wheels during a WLTC, the MAC impact at −7°C ranges from 35% to 45% while at 35°C goes from 15% to 18%.
<div class="section abstract"><div class="htmlview paragraph">Battery Electric Vehicle (BEV) sales have been spiking up due to a series of factors: zero tailpipe emissions, wider model availability, increased customer acceptance, reduced purchase price, improved performance and range. The latter is a crucial factor the consumers consider when purchasing a BEV, and it largely depends on how the vehicle operates (e.g. average speed), traffic, ambient conditions, and battery size. When driven on the roads, the actual range of BEVs can be significantly smaller than the certified value obtained from laboratory testing at standard conditions. To understand the factors influencing vehicle range in real-world operation, the study team performed on-road tests on three production passenger vehicles currently available in the European market. The measured quantities, including vehicle signals from OBD/UDS, were used to quantify the vehicle energy consumption. Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) data was used to calculate vehicle positioning and resistances, including altitude. Findings show an average consumption of 201.5 Wh/km for mid-sized passenger cars, ranging between 150 to 293.4 Wh/km (minimum and maximum observed values from a B-Segment vehicle and a 9-Seater VAN, respectively). Ambient temperature is one of the factors introducing a high variability in real-world energy consumption, as electric energy is used both for cabin heating and cooling, which might lead to range reductions of 30-50 % under extreme conditions. An energy breakdown is presented for each trip, describing the typical share of propulsion, cooling/heating needs and other auxiliaries.</div></div>
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