Sunteți pe pagina 1din 5

ENERGYCON 2014 • May 13-16, 2014 • Dubrovnik, Croatia

Study of a Vehicle Conversion from Internal


Combustion Engine to Electric Drive
Mario Vražiü , Damir Vuljaj, Arsen Pavasoviü, Hrvoje Paukoviü
Department of Electric Machines, Drives and Automation,
Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computing,University of Zagreb,
Unska 3, 10 000, Zagreb
mario.vrazic@fer.hr
damir.vuljaj@fer.hr
arsen.pavasovic@fer.hr
hrvoje.paukovic@fer.hr

Abstract— A conversion of an internal combustion engine The stated criteria implied that an older vehicle should be
vehicle (ICE) to an electric drive vehicle (EV) was a project chosen which would also have an additional advantage of a
carried out at the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and low cost. Finally an Opel Kadett C built in 1978 (Fig. 1) was
Computing (FER). This project has lead to valuable conclusions selected as a test vehicle. The car met all the criteria except
about the ICE to EV conversion, its costs and benefits. The whole
process of conversion will be presented in this article, including
not having a brake servo (braking booster). Its condition was
the applied regulations, total labor and components expenses. very good and the price acceptable.
Finally, an analysis of the conversion cost-benefit ratio has been Initial tests were made on the vehicle so that the equipment
done, taking into account lower fuel prices, maintenance costs, for the conversion could be properly chosen. A torque
battery life etc. The comparison was done between an EV and a measurement device was mounted on one of the propulsion
diesel ICE vehicle. wheels. A mathematical model of the vehicle power train was
constructed using the measured torque curves during
Keywords: electric vehicle, EV conversion, batteries, cost-benefit acceleration and continuous driving as well as the car mass
ratio. and geometry. The desired speed for continuous driving was
I. INTRODUCTION set at 70 km/h having in mind that the EV will mostly be used
for testing during urban commuting. The desired range of the
EV-s will no doubt, play a key role in the future of EV was set to roughly 100 km using the information that an
transportation, but it is still unclear when they will be in average car in Europe travels around 40 km/day. With the
general use. For that to happen the issues such as changing the desired range set the approximate mass of the batteries and the
infrastructure, different equipment standards and poor battery total mass of the car was calculated. Using the mathematical
quality have to be solved. Battery technology improves model the rated power of the prime mover was calculated. The
drastically with the amount of money and effort invested into parameters of the chosen asynchronous motor are shown in
research, but many flaws have to be corrected. Because of the Table I.
high costs of the EV models currently present on the market, a
great number of conversions form ICE to EV will be made in
the near future. The conversion has been made with the
intention of gathering valuable insights into the matter as well
as to use the EV as a mobile electrical measurement
laboratory ([1] – [4]).

II. VEHICLE CONVERSION

A. Fundamental terms and conversion process


The first task that needed to be done is a selection of an
appropriate vehicle. The following criteria had to be met:
x The lowest possible weight Fig. 1. Selected test vehicle – Opel Kadett C from 1978
x Simple construction (less electronic control circuits to
According to the chosen motor the following inverter has
make the conversion easy)
been selected – Curtis 1238-7601 with input voltage 72 –
x Minimum number of auxiliary servo systems
108 VDC, and a maximal output current of 650 A. The
(consumption reduction)
selected frequency converter has the following safety
x Rear propulsion (more space in the engine area)
functions:

978-1-4799-2449-3/14/$31.00 ©2014 IEEE 1544


ENERGYCON 2014 • May 13-16, 2014 • Dubrovnik, Croatia

x Limp – Home mode: with low battery voltage (when To supply all the 12 VDC devices in the car a step down
depleted) the converter will decrease the output power 110/12 DC/DC converter was installed. The total power of
to preserve the batteries lights, horn, electric heaters, fans, PC, servo vacuum pump etc.
x Thermal Derating: when the inverter temperature was rated at 600 W.
increases over 80°C it decreases the output power
TABLE I
PRIME MOVER (AM) PARAMETERS

Producer HPEVS Inc.


Model AC50-26.26.2
Type Asynchronous
No. phases 3
Rated voltage 96 V
Rated power 15 HP (11 kW)
Peak power 52 HP (39 kW)
Insulation class H
Max speed 6500 rpm
Max temperature 120 °C
Mass 55 kg
Fig. 2. One battery pack (Half of the 32 cells)
th
The inverter can operate in the 4 quadrant (regenerative
braking energy is stored in the batteries). The entire equipment had to be installed in the vehicle in
Parameters of the chosen batteries (Fig. 2) are given in such a way that the mass distribution remained unchanged. It
Table II. 32 cells give a total input voltage of 102,4 VDC for was necessary in order to preserve the driving performances
the inverter. Only 80% (8.1 kWh) of the energy stored in the and vehicle safety. The displacement of the equipment in the
batteries can be used without damaging them. There are many EV is visible in (Fig. 3). After the whole process of
aspects to consider when choosing the batteries. Their conversion was completed the total mass on the front shaft
performances and quality influence the driving experience, but was increased by 10 kg and on the rear shaft by 17 kg.
also affect the price drastically. Given that the mayor part of
the conversion expenses are the batteries a compromise has to
be made between buying cutting edge technology batteries
and keeping the conversion cost within budget. The cost of the
batteries and their lifespan is the biggest factor in the cost-
benefit ratio of ICE to EV conversion. The batteries were
shipped together with a charger and a battery management
system (BMS) which monitors the charging and depletion.
The charger, the BMS and the inverter are all equipped
with a CAN [5] bus interface and will all be connected to an
integrated vehicle measurement and surveillance system.
TABLE III: BATTERIES PARAMETERS
Fig. 3. Equipment displacement after the conversion
Parameter Per cell Whole pack
Producer/Type LiFeMnPO4
Rated voltage 3,2 V 102,4 V
Capacity 100Ah B. Regulation compliance test and license
Operation voltage 2,8 – 4,0 V 89,6 – 128 V Because substantial drive train changes have been made on
Rated discharge current <50A the vehicle it had to undergo a regulation compliance test in
Max discharge current <300A (max 15 min)
the Croatian vehicle agency (CVH) before it could be licensed
Max Peak discharge <2000A (5sec in 1
to drive on public roads. Some of the regulations that needed
current min)
to be met are:
Max charging current <300A
x Power lines with voltages over 50 V must have orange
Max temperature 80 C°
Mass 3,4 kg 108,8 kg
coating
x Electric installations with voltage over 50 V have to be
protected against direct contact (IP55)
The test vehicle was equipped with an industrial PC and a
x In case of main battery depletion the vehicle still has to
touch screen monitor used for acquisition and measurement of
be able to have the position signals turned on (an
vehicle parameters when driving.
additional 12 V battery)

978-1-4799-2449-3/14/$31.00 ©2014 IEEE 1545


ENERGYCON 2014 • May 13-16, 2014 • Dubrovnik, Croatia

x Emergency main power circuit breaker As far as the EV fuel costs are concerned it is necessary to
x Electric window heater and fan consider the whole grid - wheel cycle of the electricity. The
x Vacuum pump and chamber for the breaking booster efficiency of the charger is set somewhere around 0,95, the
x The propulsion shaft has to carry at least one third of charging process (heat losses) at 0,8, discharging at 0,8, the
the total vehicle mass inverter at 0,95 and the motor at 0,9. Cumulatively the grid -
x The prime mover has to have a power of minimum wheel cycle has an efficiency of 0,52. All in all, for 9,2 kWh
3 kW per 1.000 kg of the vehicle mass of propulsion energy a total of 17,7 kWh of electricity needs
x All equipment has to be firmly attached to the chassis to be taken from the grid. With the price of 9 €ct/kWh of
electricity consumed in the household the cost of one “tank”
A report was made containing relevant information about of fuel for the EV is € 1,6. With the distance of 40,7 km which
changes made on the vehicle and its operation as well as the our test EV can cover with one battery charging the fuel price
description of the used electric equipment. per km is €3,9 ct/km. The ratio of fuel price per km of an ICE
and EV vehicle is 2,35.

A. Length of EV conversion investment pay off period


The cost of the ICE to EV conversion can be compensated
over time through lower fuel and maintenance costs. A middle
class diesel ICE vehicle - Fiat Stilo - was used as a reference
for an assessment of the length of period in which the
investment pays off. The following initial assumptions were
made:
x The vehicle covers on average 55 km/day in urban
commuting and highway driving combined;
x In the above mentioned regime of driving the vehicle
consumes on average around 150 Wh/km of energy;
x An assessment was done for the total distance of
Fig. 4 Motor area layout after conversion
100.000 km in 5 years;
The vehicle remained at the CVH agency for 5 days. All x Diesel fuel price was set at 1,32 €/l;
the regulations being met, the vehicle was declared road safe x Electricity price for household was set at 9 €ct/kWh.
and after some time it was licensed for driving on public roads.
Maintenance costs of the ICE vehicle that do not exist in
an EV include lubricant, cooling liquid, gearbox and exhaust
III. CONVERSION COST-BENEFIT RATIO system repairs, transmission parts and starter battery that wear
When converting a diesel ICE into an EV it is interesting to out with time. These expenses are known for the reference
see in what time period the investment pays off. Before doing ICE vehicle and were set at roughly € 5.600 for 5 years.
that some general relations of the ICE and EV vehicles will be Diesel fuel cost for the reference diesel ICE during that period
presented. Diesel ICE efficiency is around 30%. If we would be around € 8.580 with the average consumption of
combine this data with energy density of diesel fuel 6,5 l/100km. The reference vehicle, when converted to an EV,
(45 MJ/kg), it means that only 3,83 kWh of energy is used per would consume € 1.380 worth electricity for the same total
kilo of fuel for vehicle propulsion. distance. This assumption was based on measurements of
So, 100 kg of diesel fuel (with density of 0,84 kg/l the volume consumption of the test EV Kadett. The total battery energy
is 118,3 l) gives us 383 kWh of propulsion energy. On the was divided by the kilometer count the vehicle covered with a
other hand, 100 kg of LiFeMnPO4 batteries have a capacity of single charging of the battery. The measurement was done for
100 Ah. With terminal voltage of 102,4V the batteries can the above mentioned driving regimes and the energy per km
store 10,24 kWh. With the cumulative efficiency of the motor consumption was compensated to match the increased mass of
and battery discharge of 0,85, only 9,2 kWh can be used for the reference Fiat Stilo vehicle. Maintenance costs combined
propulsion of an EV. The ratio of total propulsion energy with lower fuel costs amount to € 12.800 savings during
given by 100 kg of fuel source in an ICE and EV is 41.5. 5 years of driving a converted vehicle. Equipment and labor
If our test vehicle is considered, when it operated as an ICE costs for a high quality EV conversion are approximately
vehicle it could cover roughly 1.690 km with 100 kg of diesel € 10.500. If the profit from selling the ICE vehicle parts
(average consumption of 7 l/100 km). However, the same (engine, gas tank, exhaust parts, cooler etc.) is taken into
vehicle propelled by an electric motor powered by account it is obvious that the amount saved with the
100 kg of batteries covers only 40,7 km on the same path. conversion is even higher.
The analysis becomes more interesting when we calculate fuel It is now possible to conclude that the investment into an
costs. At a price of 1,32 €/l 100 kg of diesel costs € 156,2. The ICE to EV conversion can pay off in roughly 5 years. It is
diesel ICE vehicle costs 9,2 €ct/km per kilometer of distance. necessary to bear in mind that the length of this period

978-1-4799-2449-3/14/$31.00 ©2014 IEEE 1546


ENERGYCON 2014 • May 13-16, 2014 • Dubrovnik, Croatia

depends a great deal on the prices of fossil fuel, electricity,


batteries, the chosen equipment installed in the ICE and such.
Also, if the EV is used more in urban commuting,
regenerative braking and lower maintenance costs shorten the
period in which the investment pays off. It is not crucial for
this analysis, but it should be mentioned that the safety of the
EVs is bigger than the safety of ICE vehicles because of their
simpler construction and reduced number of moving (rotating)
parts.

IV. MEASUREMENTS DONE WITH THE CONVERTED EV Fig. 6 Test track altitude configuration

The measurement started in the third gear of transmission


One of the more important measurements carried out on the with a fully loaded battery ([9], [10]). Just before starting the
converted EV Kadett was used to test the ability of the vehicle incline the gear was shifted into the second and soon returned
(battery pack) to capture energy during regenerative braking. into the third gear because the motor was not overloaded even
The test track included climbing and descending a local hill in the third gear of the transmission system. During the ride
road. Total altitude difference on the path Vrbani – Sljeme – battery voltage, current, capacity and energy were measured.
Samobor – Vrbani was 859 m (Fig 5 and 6). The complete set of measurements for the whole test can be
seen in (Fig 7). The total time was 2 hours and 39 minutes
including a 25-minute standstill. After 83 km and 1 hour and
42 minutes of continuous driving battery voltage suddenly
dropped and the car had to stop. After 25 minutes help arrived
and the car was towed. During 20 minutes of towing batteries
were charged with 10 Ah.
The most significant of all measurements is the circuit
uphill and downhill ride (Fig 8). The altitude difference was
859 m, the total distance covered in 63 min was 35,5 km at an
average speed of 33,8 km/h. Energy consumption on the
ascend was 67,9 Ah and the energy stored during the descend
was 14,3 Ah which makes the total circuit consumption of
Fig. 5 - map of the test track
59,9 Ah. The uphill part of the track was 22 km long. The
total energy needed for the uphill drive was 59,9 Ah. The
regenerative braking contribution was 2,8 Ah in ascend (a part
of the ascent ran downhill). Without the regenerative braking
the energy needed for ascend would be 62,7 Ah.

V
115
105
95
85
75
A
300
200
100
0
-100
Ah
100
75
50
25
0

00:10:00 00:30:00 00:50:00 01:10:00 01:30:00 01:50:00 02:10:00 02:30:00


Battery voltage Battery current h:min:s
Capacity

Fig. 7 Measured battery waveforms during whole track

978-1-4799-2449-3/14/$31.00 ©2014 IEEE 1547


ENERGYCON 2014 • May 13-16, 2014 • Dubrovnik, Croatia

V
115
105
95
85
75
A
300
200
100
0
-100
Ah
70
50
30
10

00:05:00 00:15:00 00:25:00 00:35:00 00:45:00 00:55:00


Battery voltage Battery current h:min:s
Capacity
Fig. 8 Measured battery waveforms during mountain ascend and descend

There is another interesting thing about the measurements - [2] A. Hande, S. Kamalasadan, A. Srivastava, “Selective Voltage
Measurement System for Series Connected Battery Packs“,
after 1h 42min the battery was depleted to its lowest permitted Proceedings of the IEEE SoutheastCon, pp. 22 – 27, 2006, DOI
capacity (the depth of discharge) and the battery voltage 10.1109/second.2006.1629317
suddenly dropped. The vehicle was stopped to prevent [3] T.P. Bohn, R.D. Lorenz, E.R. Olson, “Measurement of in-situ currents
damage to the battery. After 25 min the vehicle was towed in a hybrid electric vehicle integrated power module using giant
magnetoresistive sensors“, Power Electronics in Transportation, pp. 55
away. During the towing the engine was turned on and the – 59, 2004, DOI 10.1109/PET.2004.1393795
battery was charged to 10 Ah of energy through regenerative [4] Yin Ying, Xin Tang, Xiaonan Li, Xiaodong Li, H. Weiss,
braking. “Implementation of Rugged Measurement System on Electric Vehicle“,
International Conference on Actual Problems of Electronic Instrument
Engineering, pp. 166 – 171, 2006, 10.1109/APEIE.2006.4292413
[5] Yu Zhilong, Li Dongsheng, He Long, Wang Haiying, “Hardware
V. CONCLUSION
design on electric vehicle LCD display system based on CAN bus“, 6th
International Forum on Strategic Technology (IFOST), Vol. 1, pp. 283
Although the conversion from ICE to EV is not a simple or – 286, 2011, DOI 10.1109/IFOST.2011.6021023
[6] H. Weiss, “Revitalization, performance measurement, and
cheap thing to do it gave plenty of useful experience. The final improvement of electric vehicles“, International Conference on Actual
conclusion drawn from the project so far is that ICE to EV Problems of Electronic Instrument Engineering, pp. 108 – 113, 2008,
conversion presents an interesting market during the transition DOI 10.1109/APEIE.2008.4897068
period if such conversions are to be done for fleets of cars of [7] K. Muehlbauer, F. Bachl, D. Gerling, “Comparison of measurement
and calculation of power losses in AC/DC-converter for electric
the same type. In this scenario the price of the conversion vehicle drive“, International Conference on Electrical Machines and
would be reduced drastically and the cost benefit ratio Systems (ICEMS), pp. 1 – 4, 2011, DOI
increased. Our test EV Kadett will be a platform for many 10.1109/ICEMS.2011.6073652
student projects in the future and thus enable us to gather [8] M. Gougani, M. Chapariha, J. Jatskevich, “Locking electric differential
for brushless DC machine-based electric vehicle with independent
more useful experience which can be used in the wheel drives“, IEEE Vehicle Power and Propulsion Conference
transportation market. (VPPC), pp. 1 – 6, 2011, DOI 10.1109/VPPC.2011.6043122
Gradually with solving the battery related problems (such [9] L.W. Juang, P.J. Kollmeyer, T.M. Jahns, R.D. Lorenz, “System
as low battery capacity and high costs) the EVs will become identification-based lead-acid battery online monitoring system for
electric vehicles“, IEEE Energy Conversion Congress and Exposition
more important means of transportation. However, it is (ECCE), pp. 3903 – 3910, 2010, DOI 10.1109/ECCE.2010.5617776
necessary to state the probable growth in electricity costs and [10] J.T.B.A. Kessels, B. Rosca, H.J. Bergveld, P.P.J. van den Bosch, “ On-
demand with the gradual increase of number of EVs. line battery identification for electric driving range prediction“, IEEE
There are a lot of plans for additional system installation Vehicle Power and Propulsion Conference (VPPC), pp. 1 – 6, 2011,
DOI 10.1109/VPPC.2011.6043022
such as on-line torque measurement ([11], [12]), android [11] I. J. Garshelis, “Torque and Power Measurement”, in Measurement,
applications for BMS, etc. All of them will lead to new Instrumentation, and Sensors Handbook CRCnetBase 1999, CRC Press
comprehension of the EV phenomenon. LLC, 1999.
[12] H. Dzapo, Z. Stare and N. Bobanac, “Portable Wireless Measuring
REFERENCES System for Monitoring Motor Shaft Parameters”, in Proc. 21th IEEE
Instrumentation and Measurement Technology Conference, Como,
Italy, 2004, pp. 901-906.
[1] X. Wang, T. Stuart, “Charge measurement circuit for electric vehicle
batteries”, IEEE Transactions on Aerospace and Electronic Systems,
Volume: 38, Issue: 4, pp. 1201 - 1209, 2002, DOI
10.1109/TAES.2002.1145743.

978-1-4799-2449-3/14/$31.00 ©2014 IEEE 1548

S-ar putea să vă placă și