Test procedures and benchmarking: Blended-type and EV-capable plug-in hybrid electric vehicles

With fuel prices at all-time highs and high-visibility for "green" transportation, the plug-in hybrid (PHEV) has seen much renewed interest. Manufacturers have announced production of PHEVs and the questions of "how will they be counted?" is essentially the question, "how will they be tested?" The SAE J1711 procedures issue in 1999 were designed to address PHEVs, but since that time many new ideas and notions have been brought out that has caused the committee to re-issue the procedures take a close look at changes to the procedures. There is a distinctly different discussion for PHEVs that are based upon today's full hybrids with larger plug-in battery packs ("blended type") and a "range- extender" PHEV type. A full charge test is given to a PHEV (starting at full-charge to charge-sustaining) to find the capacity and to characterize the vehicle's operation. Driving statistics are useful in processing the FCT and combining depleting with sustaining operation. Several blended type vehicles have been tested and many lessons were learned. A minimum test method was found that can suitably applied to the vehicles tested thus far. Just as was the problem in mid 1990's, lack of refined prototypes with all-electric range capability slows the rate of progress on developing a suitable procedure.