The University of Wisconsin-Madison Engine Research Center and Hybrid Vehicle Team have combined their efforts and resources to construct a series hybrid vehicle that utilizes a dual-fuel Reactivity Controlled Compression Ignition Engine (RCCI). The vehicle is based on a 2009 Saturn Vue. The conversion to a series hybrid includes the use of a General Motors 1.9 L turbo-diesel engine which was converted to operate with RCCI combustion. The engine is coupled to a Remy HVH250 90 kW AC motor to act as an electrical generator to charge a Johnson Controls 14.1 kW-hr lithium-ion traction battery pack to power a UQM PowerPhase Select 75 kW drive motor.
Full vehicle testing was conducted on a chassis dynamometer at the Vehicle Emissions Research Laboratory at Ford. Three Environmental Protection Agency test cycles, including the FTP75 Federal Test Procedure, Highway Fuel Economy Test, and US06 Supplementary Federal Test Procedure, were performed using RCCI combustion with conventional pump gasoline and ultra-low sulfur diesel. Fuel economy and emissions were recorded over the specified test cycles and calculated based on the fuel properties and high-voltage battery energy usage.
The results were used to provide estimates of fuel economy and emissions performance and comparisons with a commercially available hybrid vehicle. The estimates also provide guidelines for system improvements to further increase the vehicle performance.