Modeling medium-duty vehicle performance with hybrid differential-based transmission: GT Power simulation and experimental analysis

Medium-heavy load vehicles move from a static position at a slow pace with a gradual acceleration. Thus, for mobility at rough inclined terrain or achieving higher speed in less time requires extra torque from the transmission. In this situation, a power split device (PSD) is needed to add extra power from another source, such as an electric motor. For late-model vehicles, planetary gear-based PSD is often expensive. This is due to the need for gearbox modifications, complex control systems, and complex gear setups. Therefore, a differential gear-based power split device (DPSD) can instead be employed. A differential gear is a mechanical device that receives input from the engine and gives output to the wheels on an axle to rotate at different speeds. The configuration can be changed around in order to receive two inputs into one output. In this study, a 3200 cc diesel engine and a DPSD were investigated using experimental tests and simulation. A DPSD was fabricated for the experiment. The simulation model was developed using GT-Power software. The model was also optimized using GT¬ Post so that comparable results from the experiment could be produced by the simulation. Next, the DPSD model is simulated on a complete vehicle model using GT-Power based on three engine displacement sizes (2000 cc, 2500 cc, and 3200 cc) and three DPSD configurations (without electric motor, with electric motor [5.5 kW] and with electric motor [20 kW]). The simulation's conclusion indicates that a vehicle's top speed, acceleration, and range all increase with the addition of electric motors. The greatest speed of a 3200 cc engine equipped with a 20 kW electric motor is 193 km/h, while an engine without an electric motor can only cover 4350 meters in 120 seconds and reach a maximum speed of 14 7 km/h.