A PROTOTYPE HIGH POWER DC-DC CONVERTER FOR REGULATING GENERATOR OUTPUT VOLTAGE IN A SERIES HYBRID ELECTRIC VEHICLE

As fully electric and hybrid electric vehicles become more commonplace, a strong incentive for innovation in electric powertrain technology has been created. Though the instantaneous power available from an electric motor may appeal to consumers of powersports vehicles, this has been an area with relatively little advancement towards electric architectures. One primary concern of electrifying such a platform is the need for large battery packs that tend not to perform well in the harsh weather conditions often seen in powersports such as snowmobiling. As such, hybrid electric architectures may prove to be a successful middle ground between fossil fuels and electric drive systems. This paper presents a design of a high-power voltage regulator circuit designed to decouple control systems for the internal combustion and electric halves of a novel hybrid electric snowmobile powertrain. An overview of design considerations, software development, and testing procedures is given with the intention of providing a foundation for future projects improving upon the prototype snowmobile. Additionally, the design and testing of a prototype printed circuit board (PCB) implementing the proposed solution is discussed with a focus on the selection of components and layout considerations. Regrettably, a catastrophic hardware failure impeded the complete testing of the designed circuit, but a plethora of useful information regarding the design process and control theory of the proposed system was obtained.