Effect of driving, charging, and pricing scenarios on optimal component sizing of a PHEV

In this paper, the problem of optimal sizing of a series PHEV is studied by formulating a convex program that minimizes the sum of operational and component costs. The solution gives the optimal sizes of the main powertrain components, simultaneously with the vehicle's optimal energy management. Investigations are performed on driving cycles generated stochastically from real data using Markov chains, with different driving distance distributions and charging patterns. The results show that the optimal component sizing is affected more from the driving distances between charging opportunities, than the speed profile of the driving. With anticipated future battery and petroleum prices, larger battery sizes are obtained.