Overview of the main powertrain architectures for hybrid and electric vehicles

The research for alternative solutions to assist the propulsion, fuel converters and energy storage systems (ESS) in vehicular applications has become the focus of many institutions and mainly in the automotive industry, aiming to reduce the impacts caused by the emission of gases in the exhaust pipe and to improve energy efficiency in the worldwide vehicle fleet. Hybrid Electric Vehicles (HEV) and Electric Vehicles (EV) are currently a reality and meet this requirement to build a greener and less polluting society. In this context, this paper describes the operational characteristics of the different powertrain architectures employed in hybrid electric vehicles, including series, parallel and series-parallel topologies, as well as battery-powered and fuel cell electric vehicles. Finally, some of the elementary issues facing these advanced vehicular technologies, including the challenges for market penetration are highlighted.