Real-Time Dynamic Optimal Power Flow in Electric Vehicles Considering the Lifetime of the Components in the E-Powertrain

Abstract: Different types of energy sources (e.g., batteries, supercapacitors, fuel cells) can be utilized in electric vehicles to store and provide energy in the e-powertrain through power electronic devices [1-6]. The lifetime of the components in the e-powertrain depends on their load profile [7,8]. For instance, the lifetime of a battery highly depends on the depth of discharge and the number of charge/discharge cycles [9-13]. The lifetime of an inverter mostly depends on the variations in the active-reactive power passing through it. This means that the expended life cost of the components can be decreased by allocating an optimal share of the total power to each energy source and power electronic device at an optimal time instance. In addition, the driving range of a vehicle can be prolonged by decreasing the energy loss i.e., operating the components in their high-efficiency region. Therefore, it is necessary to perform Optimal Power Flow (OPF) in the operation of the e-powertrain.