Impact of driving timing and road types on the operating regions of electric two-wheeler powertrain components under indian road conditions

Abstract

• Real-time performance test of E2W is conducted under Indian city road conditions. • Driving parameters and operating regions of E2W are quantified based on driving trips and road types. • Operating regions of E2W powertrain components are analysed under different trips. • The battery energy consumption for trip 3 is higher than the other driving trips. Among the different classes of electric vehicles (EVs), electric two-wheelers (E2Ws) are securing more enticement towards the commutator for regular usage due to their higher suitability in the heterogeneous traffic conditions of India. However, the driving range of the E2Ws is the major concern in increasing its penetration rate in road transportation. To eradicate the range anxiety of commutators by redesigning the current E2W powertrain configuration, this study strives to insights into the operational limits of powertrain elements such as the battery and motor in E2W under multiple operational circumstances such as driving style, pavement, and ambient conditions. Regarding this, the E2W with data acquisition system (DAC) connected with an onboard diagnosis (OBD) port is utilized to acquire the data related to powertrain components and vehicles for four driving trips (trips 1–4) under three major road segments (Rural, expressway, and urban) of India. The operating and computed performance metrics, comprising battery voltage and current, state-of-charge (SOC), energy consumption, motor current, speed, efficiency, and so on, are then compared throughout driving trips and road segments. The mean velocity of E2W for trips 1 to 4 is 31.91, 33.68, 39.03, and 35.58 km/h, respectively. The results disclosed that total energy consumption and energy consumption per km. are higher during trip 3 due to higher average vehicle speed. Also, it has a higher depth-of-discharge (DOD) of 83.91 % than other driving trips. Further, a higher rate of SOC drop, energy consumption and battery temperature rise are found at highway road segments.