Optimal Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle Design and Allocation for Diverse Charging Patterns

Abstract

Plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEVs) technology has the potential to address economic, environmental, and national security concerns in the United States by reducing operating cost, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and petroleum consumption. However, the net implications of PHEVs depend critically on the distances they are driven between charges: Urban drivers with short commutes who can charge frequently may benefit economically from PHEVs while also reducing fuel consumption and GHG emissions, but drivers who cannot charge frequently are unlikely to make up the cost of large PHEV battery packs with future fuel cost savings. We construct an optimization model to determine the optimal PHEV design and optimal allocation of PHEVs, hybrid-electric vehicles (HEVs) and conventional vehicles (CVs) to drivers in order to minimize net cost, fuel consumption, and GHG emissions. We use data from the 2001 National Household Transportation Survey to estimate the distribution of distance driven per day across vehicles. We find that (1) minimum fuel consumption is achieved by assigning large capacity PHEVs to all drivers; (2) minimum cost is achieved by assigning small capacity PHEVs to all drivers; and (3) minimum greenhouse gas emissions is achieved by assigning medium-capacity PHEVs to drivers who can charge frequently and large-capacity PHEVs to drivers who charge less frequently.

Static and dynamic fault tree analysis with application to hybrid vehicle systems and supply chains

“…A large portion of the literature analyzes the effect of hybrid vehicles on the environment, the economy, and driving behavior. Kaushal et al (2009) finds the factors which can minimize life cycle cost, petroleum consumption, and greenhouse gas emissions to obtain the optimal design of plug-in hybrids. Gallagher and Muehlegger (2011) present the popularity of hybrids may increase on account of sales tax waivers and higher fuel prices which could lead to the future fuel savings.…”