Reduction of Accessory Overdrive and Parasitic Loading on a Parallel Electric Hybrid City Bus

This paper reports on the first phase of a project that explores the trends and dependencies of the input power to the major mechanically-driven accessories including hydraulic pumps, air compressor, air conditioning (AC) compressor, and alternator on a modern parallel hybrid city bus. In this first phase, the impact of accessory electrification is estimated by considering the near-elimination of accessory overdrive and parasitic loading. In addition to reducing accessory fuel consumption accessory electrification can also serve as a bridge to the eventual use of a diesel or fuel cell auxiliary power unit to generate electricity for accessories on transit buses. Data collection and processing methods of this study are described, the shortcomings of mechanically-driven accessories are discussed, and an estimation of savings for accessory electrification is performed.

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