Understanding Automotive Powertrain
A powertrain is an assembly of every component that pushes the vehicle forward. Powertrain creates power from the engine and delivers it to the wheels on the ground. The key components of a powertrain include an engine, transmission, driveshaft, axles, and differential.
The powertrain encompasses every moving part that is crucial to the automobile’s success. Its sole purpose is converting kinetic energy into propulsive motion.
Future of Powertrain
Today modern electric vehicles will deploy a motor, which uses the chemical energy stored in the battery. The wheel is at the end of the powertrain system. The source of power that drives the wheel varies.
In an EV, the electrical energy from the battery is not directly supplied to the motor because most electric vehicles deploy an AC induction motor (Alternating Current) to drive the vehicle. The battery is a source of direct current, and the direct current is converted to an alternating current with the help of an inverter. The alternating current from the inverter is used to power the motor.
Technology with conventional and Existing Trends (EV)
Conventional:
The conventional way of powering the wheel is by deploying an ICE (Internal Combustion Engine) engine, which is operated by the explosive power of petrol or diesel in a vacuum.
The ICE engine can function with optimum efficiency at a certain range of RPM (Rotation Per Minute). An ICE engine produces maximum torque at low speed or during the start of the vehicle, and eventually, the torque reduces as the speed increases. Hence, a multiple-speed transmission system is needed.
EV Powertrain
As electric vehicles have an electric motor and a battery instead of a combustion engine and a fuel tank. The architecture becomes simple and controllable for the component level. In EV, the motor produces a constant torque at all RPM. Therefore, only a single-speed transmission system is required for EVs.
When designing the architecture for EV, it is mandatory to use modeling and simulation tools, with specific consideration of electric powertrain, including battery, power electronics, electric motors, sensors, and control system.
Role of CAE Simulation in Powertrain
A vehicle relies on numerous components and systems to run properly, but one of the most critical systems is the powertrain, which is composed of the engine and all the components for the transmission of power to the wheel. A well-designed powertrain can improve the efficiency and performance of the vehicle, but it is a challenge for engineers to do this without having a negative impact on vehicle mass or cost.
Simulation plays an important role in helping engineers to design a powertrain for optimal efficiency and performance, as well as in ensuring that no reliability or durability problems are caused by combustion chamber pressure, temperature, or the rotational or translational speed evolutions of the parts. Reliability, durability, efficiency, performance and safety are all elements that can be certified through simulation, which addresses them in the early stages of design and more cost-effectively than physical testing.
Future Trend
Electrification is the latest technology trend which has revolutionized not only the mobility segment but stationary power generation systems as well. Electric vehicle development in India and globally has become a disruptive business trend. Most of the OEMs are developing strategies to deliver mostly electrified cars. Passenger cars, commercial vehicles, name the product, it is getting electrified. Even though the electric cars were available for last an all of decades, the commercialization at the large scale of E- mobility has truly begun in the last few years. The customers are looking for solutions for the challenges in the electrified product development at an early stage.
