Invited Paper - Simulation and Modeling Methodologies, Technologies and Application - page 2

Integration of Traffic Simulation and Propulsion
Modeling to Estimate Energy Consumption for Battery
Electric Vehicles
Perry MacNeille, Oleg Gusikhin, Mark Jennings, Ciro Soto, and Sujith Rapolu
Research and Advanced Engineering, Ford Motor Company, 2101 Village Road, Dearborn,
MI 48121, U.S.A.
{pmacneil,ogusikhi,mjennin5,csoto}@ford.com,
[e-mail]
Abstract. The introduction of battery electric vehicles (BEV) creates many new
challenges. Among them is driving a vehicle with limited driving range, long
charging time and sparse deployment of charging stations. This combination
may cause range anxiety for prospective owners as well as serious practical
problems with using the products. Tools are needed to help BEV owners plan
routes that avoid both range anxiety and practical problems involved with being
stranded by a discharged battery. Most of these tools are enabled by algorithms
that provide accurate energy consumption estimates under real-world driving
conditions. The tools, and therefore the algorithms must be available at vehicle
launch even though there is insufficient time and vehicles to collect good statis-
tics. This paper describes an approach to derive such models based on the inte-
gration of traffic simulation and vehicle propulsion modeling.
1 Introduction
Increasing motorization of the developing world has led to political and economic
problems such as increased cost of automotive fuels and balance of trade difficulties
between nations. Presently automotive fuels are almost exclusively petroleum based,
and in recent years petroleum production has not kept up with increased demand.
Battery electric vehicles (BEV) promise to enable diversification of the transportation
energy feedstock thereby reducing the dependence on petroleum for transport. In
addition to reducing gasoline dependence it can also help to reduce greenhouse gas
and other emissions, reduce global warming and provide more sustainable individual
transportation.
The governments of the US, European Union, China, Japan, Korea and others have
aggressively promoted vehicle electrification objectives and the major automobile
companies of the world are being challenged for the first time by consumers and gov-
ernments to produce battery electric vehicles. Several companies have accepted the
challenge, even though there is relatively little technical acumen on deployment of
these vehicles.
Deployments of BEVs present a host of new challenges including those resulting
from a current lack of supporting infrastructure. Charging stations are relatively rare,