FUEL ECONOMY IMPROVEMENT OF LIGHT DUTY HYBRID TRUCK IN VEHICLE FOLLOWING SITUATION

In this paper, longitudinal vehicle dynamics of light duty hybrid truck and driver following the preceding vehicle are modeled by using experimental data of the actual target vehicle and driving simulator. Then, the problem that concerns the increase of fuel consumption is clarified by theoretical analysis using computer simulation which include both two above-mentioned models, the vehicle and the driver, as driver-vehicle system. Finally the control method of hybrid system is proposed by considering driver pedal operation characteristics to improve fuel economy in vehicle following situation.