Product Description

In this book the longitudinal behavior of road vehicles is analyzed. The main emphasis is on the analysis and minimization of the fuel and energy consumption. Most approaches to this problem enhance the complexity of the vehicle system by adding components such as electrical motors or storage devices. Such a complex system can only be designed by means of mathematical models. This text gives an introduction to the modeling and optimization problems typically encountered when designing new propulsion systems for passenger cars. It is intended for persons interested in the analysis and optimization of classical and novel vehicle propulsion systems. Its focus lies on the control-oriented mathematical description of the physical processes and on the model-based optimization of the system structure and of the supervisory control algorithms. This text has evolved from a lecture series at ETH Zurich. Prerequisites are general engineering topics and a first course in optimal control theory.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2148746 in Books
• Published on: 2005-09-13
• Format: Illustrated
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 293 pages

Customer Reviews

Required Reading for Vehicle Drivetrain Enginerds
This is by far the best book on the topic I have found. If you plan to design or model any vehicle, but in particular a hybrid or electric vehicle, I recommend you own this book.

Specifically, a large portion of the mathematical models required for design-level calculations are available directly from the text. The text is very concise, making good use of external citations to remain thorough. Finally, the optimization case studies are very helpful in understanding hybrid design goals.

Highly Recommended for engineers and students with some experience in vehicles.

Hands-On Powertrain Design
If you're an expert or a student, or even a hobbyist with a lot of free time, anyone wanting to learn how to use numerical integrators (e.g. Matlab (c)) to model specific automobile components and vehicle performance should get this book. Here are a few components: Thermal Battery Models, Brushless DC Motors, Continuously Variable Transmissions, Pneumatic Accumulators, Fuel Reformers (for Fuel Cells), and of course IC Engines, Automatic Transmissions, and EVERYTHING in between.

You can essentially design and analyze whatever automotive powertrain you'd like, electric hybrids, fuel cells, or pure ICEs, and put it through any type of command or velocity based schedule. It's a very "hands-on" book. There's even an online resource with Matlab (c) examples.

The content vs. cost of the book is amazing. And not only do the authors explain various ways of modeling components, they emphasize the importance of the system and controls design. And the true wealth in this book is the optimization chapter. 2 of 3 Appendices are devoted to Optimal Control Theory and Dynamic Programming. The 3rd contains 8 case studies as instructional examples.