NASA EPFD Project's Progress Towards Reducing Barrier EAP Technology and Integration Risks
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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.
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Cost of a potential hydrogen-refueling network for heavy-duty vehicles with long-haul application in Germany 2050
Long-distance road-freight transport emits a large share of Germany's greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. A potential solution for reducing GHG emissions in this sector is to use green hydrogen in fuel cell electric vehicles (FC-HDV) and establish an accompanying hydrogen refueling station (HRS) network. In this paper, we apply an existing refueling network design model to a HDV-HRS network for Germany until 2050 based on German traffic data for heavy-duty trucks and estimate its costs. Comparing different fuel supply scenarios (pipeline vs. on-site), the on-site scenario results show a network consisting of 137 stations at a cost of 8.38 billion € per year in 2050 (0.40 € per vehicle km), while the centralized scenario with the same amount of stations shows a cheaper cost with 7.25 billion euros per year (0.35 € per vehicle km). Finally, the hydrogen cost (LCOH) varies from 5.59 €/kg (pipeline) to 6.47 €/kg (on-site) in 2050.
08 HYDROGEN↗
Effect of post-weld heat treatment on microstructure and mechanical properties of rotary inertia friction welded dissimilar 422-4140 martensitic steel piston joints
The study investigated how post‐weld heat treatment (PWHT) temperature affects the microstructure and localized deformation/fracture during bend testing of rotary inertia friction welds (RIFW) between AISI 422 stainless steel and AISI 4140 steel. RIFW produced a fully martensitic interface with approximately 550 HV hardness in both the thermo-mechanically affected (TMAZ) and heat‐affected zones (HAZ). Due to differences in temper resistance, the 4140 TMAZ/HAZ softened progressively under PWHT temperatures from 525 °C to 700 °C, while the 422 TMAZ unexpectedly maintained about 550 HV up to 600 °C before significantly softening at temperatures ≥625 °C. This asymmetric softening generated steep hardness gradients across the interface at temperatures ≤600 °C. Furthermore, carbon migration across the interface was minimal up to 600 °C, moderate at 625 °C, and by 700 °C produced a carbide‐rich eutectoid layer in the 422 TMAZ alongside a carbon‐depleted soft ferrite layer in the 4140 TMAZ. Strain during bending was PWHT‐dependent, concentrating on the 4140 side; in as-welded joints, the high hardness led to deformation and crack initiation in the base metals, whereas in PWHT samples, cracking initiated in the softened 4140 TMAZ near the interface. The intermediate PWHT temperature of 625 °C offered the best balance of limited carbon diffusion across the interface, relatively low peak weld hardness and minimized hardness gradients across the interface, more homogenous deformation, and good bend test performance.
4140 low-alloy steel↗
Connectivity-enhanced route selection and adaptive control for the Chevrolet Volt
The National Renewable Energy Laboratory and General Motors evaluated connectivity-enabled efficiency enhancements for the Chevrolet Volt. A high-level model was developed to predict vehicle fuel and electricity consumption based on driving characteristics and vehicle state inputs. These techniques were leveraged to optimize energy efficiency via green routing and intelligent control mode scheduling, which were evaluated using prospective driving routes between tens of thousands of real-world origin/destination pairs. The overall energy savings potential of green routing and intelligent mode scheduling was estimated at 5% and 3%, respectively. Furthermore, these represent substantial opportunities considering that they only require software adjustments to implement.
30 DIRECT ENERGY CONVERSION↗
Integrated Boosting and Hybridization for Extreme Fuel Economy and Downsizing
The objective of this project was to develop, demonstrate, and evaluate commercialization of a highly efficient downsized engine by electrification of the air delivery and waste heat recovery system and optimizing energy usage to achieve significant fuel economy improvement at a commercially viable cost. The system consists of an Electrically Assisted Variable speed Supercharger (EAVS), driven by an electric motor and the engine through a planetary gear train, that provides engine boost pressure and provides the mild hybrid functions of engine start/stop, torque assist, and brake energy recovery. In the exhaust path of the engine is the electric Waste Heat Recovery (eWHR) system, a roots-based expander driven by another electric motor, that enables exhaust gas energy recovery along with controlled back pressure on the engine. The two electric motors are powered by a 48V rechargeable lithium-ion battery. Further, the EAVS system coupled to an EGR valve enables very precise high exhaust recirculation rates to control the NOx emissions. Through two budget periods, the project team of Eaton, Isuzu, Southwest Research Institute and AVL designed and developed the EAVS and eWHR systems, integrated with an Isuzu diesel engine, and validated the target fuel economy performance and emissions by engine dynamometer testing and vehicle level simulations. GT Power model-based analyses results were used to size the EAVS and eWHR systems for the 1.9L Isuzu Spark engine. The two systems were built and the functional testing was carried out to verify the boosting performance of the superchargers. Following the baseline engine dynamometer testing, the two systems were integrated with the engine and the fuel economy performance and emissions were determined by combined steady state and transient testing over three drive cycles, namely, FTP75, NEDC and HWFET. The EAVS/eWHR system demonstrated 4% improvement in fuel economy for the NEDC cycle in engine dyno testing, correlating well with vehicle simulation results (5.3%). The simulation results indicated that the combination of hybrid functions and drivetrain optimization, fuel economy improvement of more than 20% was feasible with the system. The commercialization study to evaluate the cost of the system and the scalability for different engine/vehicle classes was planned for the final budget period but not completed as the project was closed at the end of budget period two.
32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
Future Automotive Systems Technology Simulator (FASTSim) Validation Report - 2021
The National Renewable Energy Laboratory's Future Automotive Systems Technology Simulator (FASTSim) captures the most important factors influencing vehicle power demands and performs large-scale fuel efficiency calculations very quickly. These features make FASTSim well suited to evaluate a representative distribution of real-world fuel efficiency over a large quantity of in-use driving profiles, which have become increasingly available in recent years owing to incorporation of Global Positioning System data collection into various travel surveys and studies. In addition, by being open source, computationally lightweight, freely available, and free from expensive third-party software requirements, analyses conducted using FASTSim may be easily replicated and critiqued in an open forum. This is highly desirable for situations in which technical experts seek to reach consensus over questions about what vehicle development plans or public interest strategies could maximize fuel savings and minimize adverse environmental impacts with an evolving vehicle fleet. While FASTSim continues to be refined and improved on an ongoing basis, this report compiles available runs using versions of the tool from the past few years to provide illustrative comparisons of the model results against measured data.
33 ADVANCED PROPULSION SYSTEMS↗
Inaugural Technologist in Communities Scanning Tour: Automated and Electrified On-Demand Mobility (Follow-On Summary Report: April 24-25, 2023) [Slides]
In 2023, the Technologist in Communities (TIC) program hosted its inaugural scanning tour across the American Southwest, with a goal of investigating the region's leading public mobility systems and their integration with on-demand public mobility services. The scanning tour concept was inspired by and named after a U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration practice of hosting "scanning tours," both domestically and abroad, to explore innovative transportation practices throughout the 1990s and early 2000s. Guided by the idea that "seeing is believing," scanning tours created opportunities for government and industry representatives to collectively experience new technologies and best practices firsthand. In 2023, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) followed suit by leading the inaugural TIC scanning tour. TIC, part of the Technology Integration program within the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE's) Vehicle Technologies Office, supports positive energy and mobility outcomes in communities across rural to urban contexts. TIC enables technical experts to work directly with leaders and stakeholders in communities and assist them in implementing promising new technologies. This first TIC scanning tour invited NREL, DOE, and industry experts to survey innovative public mobility practices and their integration into public transit systems across the Southwest. The tour's goals included examining the state of innovation in public mobility in cities, communities, and airports; facilitating collaboration between entities; and sparking potential new partnerships. The following report summarizes key findings from the scanning tour.
24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗
Annual Technology Baseline: The 2022 Transportation Update [Slides]
The Transportation Annual Technology Baseline (ATB) provides detailed cost and performance data, estimates, and assumptions for vehicle and fuel technologies in the United States. It includes current and projected estimates for vehicle technologies as well as conventional and alternative fuels, and it details the assumptions used to calculate those costs, such as gas and electricity prices, discount rates, and vehicle miles traveled. The 2022 update added more classes of light-duty vehicles, medium and heavy-duty vehicles, an aviation page, and it aligned diesel pathways with aviation pathways.
29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗
2023 Annual Merit Review Vehicle Technologies Office Results Report
The 2023 U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy's (EERE) Vehicle Technologies Office (VTO) Annual Merit Review (AMR) was held June 12-15, 2023, as a hybrid event with in-person and virtual attendance. The review encompassed work done by VTO: 257 individual activities were reviewed by 266 reviewers. Exactly 991 individual review responses were received for the VTO technical reviews. The objective of the meeting was to review the accomplishments and plans for VTO over the previous 12 months, and provide an opportunity for industry, government, and academia to give inputs to DOE with a structured and formal methodology. The meeting also provided attendees with a virtual forum for interaction and technology information transfer.
33 ADVANCED PROPULSION SYSTEMS↗
2014 VTO Annual Merit Review Presentations Vehicle Systems [Slides]
Abstract not provided.
33 ADVANCED PROPULSION SYSTEMS↗
Optimal Control and Architecture Design Optimization for Hydraulic Drive Train of a Compact Track Loader
Hydrostatic transmission (HST) is a common hydraulic drive train transmission used in track loaders and other high power off-road vehicles. While reliable, traditional HST with fixed-displacement motors has relatively poor efficiencies. In this paper, alternative HST and series hybrid drive train architectures are proposed to replace the traditional HST to allow the implementation of optimal control and optimization methods for better vehicle fuel efficiency. Besides the optimal control methods applied to minimize fuel consumption, the proposed architectures are also optimized for the best configuration in terms of component sizing. Backward-facing (acausal) simulation models were developed to estimate the fuel efficiency of each architecture. Finally, each architecture is compared for optimized performance and fuel saving relative to the traditional HST as baseline.
33 ADVANCED PROPULSION SYSTEMS↗
Power Split Supercharging: A Mild Hybrid Approach to Boost Fuel Economy
This work investigates an innovative low-voltage (<60 V) hybrid device that enables engine boosting and downsizing in addition to mild hybrid functionalities such as regenerative braking, start-stop, and torque assist. A planetary gear set and a brake permit the power split supercharger (PSS) to share a 9 kW motor between supercharging the engine and direct torque supply to the crankshaft. In contrast, most e-boosting schemes use two separate motors for these two functionalities. This single motor structure restricts the PSS operation to only one of the supercharging or parallel hybrid modes; therefore, an optimized decision making strategy is necessary to select both the device mode and its power split ratio. An adaptive equivalent consumption minimization strategy (A-ECMS), which uses the battery state of charge (SoC) history to adjust the equivalence factor, is developed for energy management of the PSS. The A-ECMS effectiveness is compared against a dynamic programming (DP) solution with full drive cycle preview through hardware-in-the-loop experiments on an engine dynamometer testbed. The experiments show that the PSS with A-ECMS reduces vehicle fuel consumption by 18.4% over standard FTP75 cycle, compared to a baseline turbocharged engine, while global optimal DP solution decreases the fuel consumption by 22.8% compared to the baseline.
29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗
Evaluating the Impact of Road Grade on Simulated Commercial Vehicle Fuel Economy Using Real-World Drive Cycles
Commercial vehicle fuel economy is known to vary significantly with both positive and negative road grade. Medium- and heavy-duty vehicles operating at highway speeds require incrementally larger amounts of energy to pull heavy payloads up inclines as road grade increases. Non-hybrid vehicles are then unable to recapture energy on descent and lose energy through friction braking. While the on-road effects of road grade are well understood, the majority of standard commercial vehicle drive cycles feature no climb or descent requirements. Additionally, existing literature offers a limited number of sources that attempt to estimate the on-road energy implications of road grade in the medium- and heavy-duty space. This study uses real-world commercial vehicle drive cycles from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory's Fleet DNA database to simulate the effects of road grade on fuel economy across a range of vocations, operating conditions, and locations. Drive-cycles are matched with vocation-specific vehicle models and simulated with and without grade. Fuel use due to grade is presented, and variation in fuel consumption due to drive cycle and vehicle characteristics is explored through graphical and statistical comparison. The results of this study suggest that road grade accounts for 1%-9% of fuel use in commercial vehicles on average and up to 40% on select routes.
33 ADVANCED PROPULSION SYSTEMS↗
NLR Core Modeling & Decision Support Capabilities: FASTSim, RouteE, T3CO & OpenPATH
This project is part of the program area to develop and improve core capabilities for the Energy-Efficient Mobility Systems (EEMS) program that enable research, development and deployment of advanced mobility solutions and enhance the EEMS Program's ability to address system-level transportation challenges. Advancements to the Future Automotive Systems Technology Simulator (FASTSim), Route Energy Prediction Model (RouteE), Transportation Technology Total Cost of Ownership (T3CO) and Open Platform for Agile Trip Heuristics (OpenPATH) core capabilities under this project supports the overall EEMS Program goals to effectively evaluate energy and mobility impacts of future transportation technologies and services, and to identify the most promising pathways to reduce transportation costs and environmental harms, and to improve mobility access. This presentation was prepared for the 2026 Annual Merit Review of this project.
33 ADVANCED PROPULSION SYSTEMS↗
Ambient and Initial Temperature Effects on Energy Consumption Rate Modeled in FASTSim
Ambient and initial temperatures significantly impact the energy consumption rate (ECR) of battery electric vehicles (BEVs) due to auxiliary loads and the temperature dependence of battery efficiency. This study introduces a streamlined, physics-based thermal modeling approach within the FASTSim tool that bridges the gap between oversimplified constant-load models and computationally expensive high-fidelity simulations. By employing a lumped thermal mass framework, the model captures fundamental energy balances and critical non-linear energy penalties while maintaining the computational efficiency required for expansive sensitivity studies. The simulations evaluated a compact BEV hatchback with a resistive heater over city (UDDS) and highway (HWFET) test cycles. Compared to a 22 degrees Celsius initial and ambient temperature baseline, a -7 degrees Celsius initial/ambient temperature resulted in a 221% increase in the ECR for the city cycle and a 100% increase for the highway cycle. Conversely, a 45 degrees Celsius initial / 40 degrees Celsius ambient temperature resulted in a 40% increase for UDDS and an 18% increase for HWFET. These results demonstrate that while cold conditions impose the most severe energy penalties due to resistive heating, the impact is consistently more pronounced in city driving where auxiliary loads represent a larger proportion of total energy. This lightweight yet robust framework enables researchers to rapidly quantify BEV thermal sensitivity across diverse climates without the need for high-overhead simulation environments.
33 ADVANCED PROPULSION SYSTEMS↗
Current Status and Future Plans for Electric Motors and Drives at NASA
Current Status and Future Plans for Electric Motors and Drives at NASA: Our work advances propulsion for aircraft while reducing energy consumption, noise, emissions and the cost of air travel. We are committed to investigating the use of alternative energy sources and improving the safety and expediency of flight. Electrified Aircraft Propulsion (EAP) is the use of propulsors (propellers or fans) driven by electric motors to propel aircraft ranging from air taxis to subsonic transports. NASA is developing technology, aircraft concepts, test aircraft, and ground test facilities to turn this idea from science fiction to reality. Specifically, motors and/or generators (Electric machines) are needed on all electrified aircraft. And NASA is sponsoring or performing work to achieve power densities 2-3 times the state of the art for machines in the MW or larger class. Three major machine types are being developed: permanent magnet, induction, and wound field. Power converters are also an essential component in most EAP aircraft concepts, as they are used to convert from ac to dc power, or vice versa. Silicon carbide and gallium nitride convertors are being developed with conventional cooling as well as a cryogenically cooled converter. Future plans include demonstrating integrated flight-ready systems in both ground and flight tests; collaborating with and leveraging ARPA-E EAP programs; and supporting FAA standards development for market acceptance and safety.
Powertrain↗
Improved Potting of Litz Wires for High Power Density Electric Motor
Specific details including selections of process materials, tooling/fixture setups, and a step-by-step procedure for scaling-up demonstrations of the newly developed potting process, namely vacuum-assisted axial injection potting (VaAIP) have been fully developed for the stator winding of high power density electric motors for the future electrified aircrafts. Various essential pre-trial subtasks identified for the full-scale demonstrations were carried out. To date, optimization of cure condition and thermal stability of the coating epoxy and determination of optimum application conditions and thermal stability of the high temperature encapsulant wax were completed successfully and other subtasks were under way. The efforts to enhance thermal conductivity of the selected potting compound by adding conductive nano fillers such as boron nitride nanosheets (BNNS) have also been advanced. Initially, selection of the best mixing method and procedures was attempted via extensive and systematic experimental design.
Litz wire↗
Improved Potting of Litz Wires for High Power Density Electric Motor
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Litz wire↗