Design, Implementation, and Testing of a High-Power Electrified Powertrain for an American Muscle Car

Abstract

This thesis outlines the design and implementation process of an electrified powertrain for use in an American muscle car. Designed as McMaster University's entrant to the EcoCAR 3 Advanced Vehicle Technology Competition (AVTC), an electrified powertrain was developed to provide a Chevrolet Camaro with the performance expected by the American muscle car market while maintaining ever increasing fuel economy regulations. A background of current trends in vehicle electrification, including the prominent market segments experiencing these trends, will be explored along with the history of the classic and modern American muscle car's technical specifications. Following an investigation into existing vehicle electrification trends, the selected hybrid architecture will be discussed.

The process of converting a conventional combustion powertrain into a series-parallel hybrid electric powertrain will be explored from the component-level through to full system design. Following a review of the design process for the powertrain, a high-level testing plan will be proposed using a number of test cells available within the facility. This plan will begin at the component-level exploring specific areas of potential complication and move up to complete system-level testing of powertrain functionality.