ABSTRACT
Power electronics is an enabling technology for the development of propulsion systems for hybrid and fuel cell vehicles. In electric, hybrid, and fuel cell vehicles, the challenges are to have a high-efficiency, and lower cost inverter and the associated electronics for controlling a three-phase electric machine. This chapter describes the operating strategies of hybrid and fuel cell vehicles with the associated power electronics required for propulsion systems. Hybrid vehicles are generally classified as series hybrids and parallel hybrids. In a series hybrid vehicle, generally, an engine drives the generator to produce the power to charge the batteries and to provide power to propulsion motor. Series hybrid vehicles offer lower fuel consumption in the city driving cycle, and parallel hybrid vehicles have lower fuel consumption in highway driving cycle. In series hybrid vehicle applications, the output power of the generator driven by an engine is used to extend the range of the vehicle or provide a part of the propulsion power.
