Pushing Boundaries: Electrical Engineering Students Adapt the PHEV

PHEV. Plug-In Hybrid Vehicle. Often described as a hybrid with an extension cord, PHEVs are designed further reduce environmental pollution. One of the most common PHEVs seen on the road today is the Toyota Prius.

In a hybrid vehicle, the battery of a hybrid functions as a second fuel tank. The internal combustion engine of your vehicle acts as a back-up to the battery.  The PHEV takes the hybrid vehicle model a step further, allowing drivers to regularly recharge the battery by plugging it into a standard 120 volt AC outlet. While various governmental agencies across the globe have certain criteria for PHEVs, the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) requires that all PHEVS drive at least ten miles without consuming fuel.

Around the WKU campus, the electrical engineering students Maegan Young, Robert Kessinger, and Kris Unnikannan can be seen testing the capacity of a 2007 Toyota Prius. A capstone project under the direction of Dr. Michael McIntyre, they designed a variety of driving routes throughout the greater Bowling Green area, including rural, city, and highway routes, and as well as a combination of mixed driving. Through performance monitoring via Dyno-Scan, the students evaluated the performance of the Prius on these routes. They have been measuring battery voltage, vehicle speed and distance traveled, fuel rate and fuel used, and engine idle time.

Based on this data, the students have taken the Prius a step further. In a particularly challenging endeavor, they exposed the battery of the Prius and installed an additional battery kit. As a part of the second phase of testing, the students will traverse the same routes as previously driven, collect and compare the data. They are looking for ways to increase the fuel economy of the vehicle. A primary concern in their testing is for drivers who travel long distances throughout the counties who have few opportunities or locations to recharge their vehicles.