AERODYNAMIC DESIGN OF ELECTRIC AND HYBRID VEHICLES: A GUIDEBOOK

A typical present-day subcompact electric hybrid vehicle (EHV), operating on an SAE J227a D driving cycle, consumes up to 35% of its road energy requirement overcoming aerodynamic resistance. The application of an integrated system design approach, where drag reduction is an important design parameter, can increase the cycle range by more than 15%. This guidebook highlights a logic strategy for including aerodynamic drag reduction in the design of electric and hybrid vehicles to the degree appropriate to the mission requirements. Backup information and procedures are included in order to implement the strategy. Elements of the procedure are based on extensive wind tunnel tests involving generic subscale models and full-scale prototype EHVs. The user need not have any previous aerodynamic background. By necessity, the procedure utilizes many generic approximations and assumptions resulting in various levels of uncertainty. Dealing with these uncertainties, however, is a key feature of the strategy.

• Corporate Authors:

  Jet Propulsion Laboratory

  California Institute of Technology, 4800 Oak Grove Drive
  Pasadena, CA  United States  91103

  National Aeronautics and Space Administration

  600 Independence Avenue, SW
  Washington, DC  United States  20546
• Authors:
  • KURTZ, D W
• Publication Date: 1980-9-30

Media Info

• Pagination: 92 p.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Aerodynamics; Analysis; Automobiles; Control; Design; Drag; Electric vehicles; Guidelines; Handbooks; Hybrid automobiles; Hybrid vehicles; Integrated systems; Mathematical models; Prototypes; Ratios; Systems engineering; Testing; Uncertainty; Vehicle design; Wind tunnels
• Uncontrolled Terms: Aspect ratio; Controllability; Models; Systems integration
• Old TRIS Terms: Aerodynamic configurations; Drag reduction
• Subject Areas: Bridges and other structures; Design; Energy; Highways; Vehicles and Equipment; I91: Vehicle Design and Safety;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00336403
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: National Technical Information Service
• Report/Paper Numbers: NASA-CR-163744, JPL-PUB-80-69
• Contract Numbers: NAS7-100,, DE-AI01-78CS-4209
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: May 21 1981 12:00AM