| Abstract |
The recent trend in the automotive industry is to
create a new fleet of advanced vehicular technologies. The
most popularly targeted automotive technology is the
hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) powered by the existing
internal combustion engine (ICE) technology as well as a
suitable electric traction motor system. In addition, the auto
industry has shown an increased interest in fuel cell vehicles
(FCV) as well as battery electric vehicles (BEV), which
probably might become the solutions to the inevitable oil
shortage scenario that will face the world in about 50 years’
time. This paper aims at providing a detailed technological
overview of proposed HEV, FCV, and BEV automotive
technologies. Furthermore, this paper will present a brief
comparative analysis of the above-mentioned advanced
vehicular systems from the point of view of the overall cost,
fuel economy, and well-to-wheels (WTW) efficiency. A brief
summary of commercially available HEVs and developed
FCV prototypes will be presented as well. |
