OPTIMAL DESIGN OF AN EXTENDED RANGE ELECTRIC VEHICLE

The concept of an extended range electric vehicle (E-REV) is a new one that is being ushered to market through a particularly fast product development cycle. With such a short concept-to- production timeline certain aspects of the design could benefit from a formal optimization study. This optimization study manipulates the Volt's T-shaped battery pack dimensions as well as the locations of four key vehicle components - the front seats, the rear seats, the vehicle wheelbase and the battery pack- in search of maximum all-electric range (AER), occupant comfort and the best possible vehicle handling characteristics.