Performance and characteristics of the UTK dual hybrid vehicle

The University of Tennessee FutureCar vehicle originated as a design platform for the 1998-1999 FutureCar Challenge, a collegiate design competition sponsored by the Partnership for a New Generation of Vehicles (PNGV). PNGV is a partnership among eight federal agencies, including the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the U.S. Council for Automotive Research (USCAR). The goal of the PNGV program was to obtain three times the gasoline equivalent fuel economy of a mid-size car while maintaining the performance, safety, and affordability of a production vehicle in the same family. [1] Due to time constraints during the initial vehicle design, the vehicle was never tested in the areas of tailpipe emissions, fuel economy, range, or drivetrain energy flow. The purpose of this study was to investigate these areas using standardized test procedures. During the course of vehicle testing it was determined that the vehicle could not meet the acceleration demands to perform standard EPA driving cycles. An investigation into this matter revealed that the battery pack capacity was inadequate. Attempts were made to restore the battery pack capacity, but none were successful. An improvised on-road cycle was used to evaluate the FutureCar vehicle's performance in the areas of fuel economy, range, drivetrain energy flow, and battery pack capacity. Tailpipe emissions were not evaluated.