Hardware-in-the-loop validation of a power management strategy for hybrid powertrains

•A frequency-based hybrid power management strategy is considered.•An optimization formulation is provided to tune the control parameters.•A powertrain-in-the-loop simulation is created with a real engine and battery.•Experiments are performed for validation with an aggressive drive cycle.•Savings in fuel consumption, emissions, and battery life are demonstrated.

Previously, a hybrid powertrain management strategy was developed that controls the power sources based on frequency content, mitigating aggressive engine transients. This article presents a hardware-in-the-loop validation of this strategy, with a real engine and battery integrated into a diesel hybrid electric vehicle simulation, thereby allowing for a realistic evaluation of fuel economy, soot emissions, and battery life. Considering an aggressive drive cycle and a state-of-charge regulation strategy as a benchmark, the frequency-based strategy yields 5.9% increase in fuel economy, 62.7% decrease in soot emissions, and 23% reduction in effective Amp-hours processed, which should yield an increase in battery life.