ProtoDrive: an experimental platform for electric vehicle energy scheduling and control.

Vehicles involved in urban commutes are subjected to highly variable loads as they traverse varying gradients and stop-and-go traffic. Electric Vehicles can achieve a high efficiency under these conditions due to their ability to recover energy during braking. However, the high current loads during both charging and discharging cause battery energy losses, making them less efficient and degrading their useful lifetime. Super capacitors work well under high power charge and discharge cycles, however, their high cost and low energy density prevent them from being a viable replacement for batteries. A hybrid system consisting of a battery and a super capacitor has the potential to offer the benefits of both devices, which may increase vehicle range and battery lifetime. Consequently, the goal of the project is to: (a) investigate the use of a hybrid battery/super capacitor system in response to real commuter drive cycles. (b) develop scheduling algorithms that optimize the flow of energy between the battery, super capacitor and motor.