Development Trends of Transmissions for Hybrid Electric Vehicles Using an Optimized Energy Management Strategy

Energy conservation and emissions reduction have become increasingly significant for automobiles due to the severity of the current energy situation.Hybrid electric vehicle(HEV)technology is one of the most promising solutions.This study investigated the total efficiency of a HEV powertrain.To improve the total efficiency,the engine should be regulated to work at its highest efficiency and drive the wheels directly as much as possible.To accomplish this,we developed an energy management strategy based on the direct drive area(DDA)of the engine’s efficiency map.Several typical HEV models were built to compare the fuel consumption using DDA and rule-based strategies.Furthermore,the function of the HEV transmission system with DDA was considered.The transmission in a HEV should regulate the engine to work at its highest efficiency as much as possible,which is rather different than the regulation in an internal combustion engine vehicle.The functional change may lead to transmission systems with fewer gears but optimal gear ratios.If this trend is realized,the manufacturing cost of HEVs could be largely reduced.

Analysis of Typical Automakers’ Strategies for Meeting the Dual-Credit Regulations Regarding CAFC and NEVs

The parallel corporate average fuel consumption(CAFC)and new energy vehicle(NEV)credit schemes that have been introduced by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology of China is an innovative attempt to simultaneously regulate conventional gasoline vehicles(CGVs)and NEVs in the passenger vehicle sector that is expected to function as a long-term management mechanism for CGVs to be more energy-efficient and NEVs to be well-promoted.This will have a significant impact on trends in China’s automotive industry and automakers’business decisions.Taking the cases of four typical automakers with different levels of average fuel economy in their CGVs and advanced NEV production,scenario analysis has been applied to generate these automakers’alternatives in relation to compliance with the dual-credit regulations in force from 2017 to 2020 based on the Interim Measures on the Joint Management of CAFC and NEV Credits(Draft).These automakers’alternative approaches to compliance are compared.Further,in view of the financial losses as a result of halted production if they fail to comply,the values of CAFC and NEV credits and corresponding influencing factors are analyzed from the automakers’perspective.Finally,the most cost-effective compliance strategies for these automakers are summarized and suggested improvements in the regulations are proposed for the government.

Impact,Challenges and Prospect of Software-Defined Vehicles

Software-defined vehicles have been attracting increasing attentions owing to their impacts on the ecosystem of the automo-tive industry in terms of technologies,products,services and enterprise coopetition.Starting from the technology improve-ments of software-defined vehicles,this study systematically combs the impact of software-defined vehicles on the value ecology of automotive products and the automotive industrial pattern.Then,based on the current situation and demand of industrial development,the main challenges hindering the realization of software-defined vehicles are identified,including that traditional research and development models cannot adapt to the iterative demand of new automotive products;the transformation of enterprise capability faces multiple challenges;and many contradictions exist in the industrial division of labor.Finally,suggestions are put forward to address these challenges and provide decision-making recommendations for enterprises on strategy management.