AN OVERVIEW OF ELECTRIC VEHICLE CONCEPT AND POWER MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES Dr. Chokri MAHMOUDI SPEG Research Unit ENIG National School of Engineering, University Of Gabès, TUNISIA Email: Chokri.mahmoudi@gmail.com Cell: (+216) 50 911 920 Dr. Aymen FLAH SPEG Research Unit ENIG National School of Engineering, University Of Gabès, TUNISIA Email: dr.aymen.flah@ieee.org Cell: (+216) 21 104 838 Pr. Lassaad SBITA SPEG Research Unit Director ENIG National School of Engineering, University Of Gabès, TUNISIA Email: lassaad.sbita@enig.rnu.tn Cell: (+216) 98 660 023 Abstract – Power management in electric Vehicle has been revolutionized since the old power structure introduced with first EVs. Today, it can be powered either by a single or a combination of multiple sources and driven by a single or a combination of multiple algorithms. This enhancement contributes in significantly better results. This paper reviews state-of-art on electric vehicle concept giving description for each sub-category, and then details power management strategies and charging techniques highlighting main problems and solutions. Finally, power management structure and future research direction are also discussed [1]. Keywords: Electric Vehicle, Power Management, charging techniques, multiple sources. I-INTRODUCTION In recent years, many existing automobile manufacturers and new dedicated companies have put a remarkable effort in transforming the conventional vehicle into an Electric Vehicle that provides green and reliable solution. In terms of market share, EV demand is raising [2]. It starts replacing conventional vehicle In USA, Europe and Asia. With revolutionized perspective and competitive price (Entry range), EV is a smart choice for any end user, however, an extra effort is required to enhance the range of autonomy and vary applications [3]. Organization of This Paper The remainder of this paper proceeds as follows. Section II formulates the state-of-art on electric vehicle, power management including hardware and software levels explanation, charging techniques and standards and finally introduces to multi power source architecture for EVs. Section III is devoted to discuss power management low architectures and high control algorithms. Finally, Section IV includes a discussion of power management and future research. Resume of various research efforts in BEV/HEV are provided in this paper. II-STATE-OF-ART The Electric Vehicle concept: An electric drive vehicle, or simply electric vehicle (EV), is a vehicle based on one or multiple motors (electric or traction) to ensure propulsion. The degree of electrification varies from one vehicle to another. In fig1, EVs are classified through a scale from zero (0=Conventional vehicle) to one (1=Full Electric Vehicle) ______________________________________________________ 978-1-4799-7300-2/14/$31.00 ©2014 IEEE Fig1. Degree of Electrification Mainly, there are three main types of electric vehicles; BEV - AEV The All Electric Vehicle (AEV) or Battery Electric Vehicle (BEV) uses high capacity batteries and electric motor for propulsion (Fig2.a). It derives all the power from its batteries pack and has no internal combustion engine, neither fuel cell, nor fuel tank. The only way to recharge its batteries is by plugging in the vehicle to a charging point [31, 4-8]. This is the case of Chevy Spark and the Mercedes-Benz B-Class Electric. HEV / PHEV The second type is the Hybrid Electric Vehicle (HEV) that uses mechanically a combination of Electric Motor (EM) in low speeds dedicated for in-city traffic and a conventional Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) to be used outside urban areas (Fig2.b). When ICE mode is activated, the EM stops and batteries start charging using an alternator driven by the same equipped ICE. The HEV get an upgrade to the Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV), it includes actually a new battery charging system that can be fed externally. The combustion engine works as a backup when the batteries are depleted and the driver cannot have a break for charging. Porsche announced the new Panamera Plug-in S E-Hybrid that replaces the old Panamera Hybrid offering more driving responsiveness and vehicle performance [11, 12]. REEV The main third type is the Extended Range Electric Vehicles (EREV or REEV); in this structure (Fig2.c), vehicle propulsion is driven only by an electric motor powered by high capacity batteries. These batteries are maintained charged by a small engine- generator unit. Its small consumption, less than two liters of fuel at 100km, offers an extended range of autonomy and distance to be reached [5, 11]. The latest REEV introduced to the market this year are the all-new 2014 Cadillac ELR, the AUDI A1 e-Tron and Jaguar’s Limo-Green series. FCEV In addition to these three main types, Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle (FCEV) has been introduced to perform long distances. It uses a fuel cell system to power its on-board electric motor (Fig2.d). Proton Exchange Membrane fuel cells generally called Polymer Electrolyte Membrane (PEM) fuel cells used in FCEVs use hydrogen fuel stored onboard and oxygen from the air to produce