Development and Fuel Economy Optimization of Series–Parallel Hybrid Powertrain for Van-Style VW Crafter Vehicle

Ahmed Nabil Farouk Abdelbaky, Aminu Babangida (), Abdullahi Bala Kunya and Péter Tamás Szemes
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Ahmed Nabil Farouk Abdelbaky: Department of Electrical Engineering and Mechatronics, Institute of Vehicles and Mechatronics, Faculty of Engineering, University of Debrecen, Òtemetö Utca 2-4, 4028 Debrecen, Hungary
Aminu Babangida: Department of Vehicles Engineering, Institute of Vehicles and Mechatronics, Faculty of Engineering, University of Debrecen, Òtemetö Utca 2-4, 4028 Debrecen, Hungary
Abdullahi Bala Kunya: Department of Electrical, Telecommunications and Computer Engineering, Kampala International University, Western Campus, Ishaka P.O. Box 20000, Uganda
Péter Tamás Szemes: Department of Vehicles Engineering, Institute of Vehicles and Mechatronics, Faculty of Engineering, University of Debrecen, Òtemetö Utca 2-4, 4028 Debrecen, Hungary

Energies, 2025, vol. 18, issue 14, 1-42

Abstract: The presence of toxic gas emissions from conventional vehicles is worrisome globally. Over the past few years, there has been a broad adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) to reduce energy usage and mitigate environmental emissions. The EVs are characterized by limited range, cost, and short range. This prompts the need for hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs). This study describes the conversion of a 2022 Volkswagen Crafter (VW) 35 TDI 340 delivery van from a conventional diesel powertrain into a hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) augmented with synchronous electrical machines (motor and generator) and a BMW i3 60 Ah battery pack. A downsized 1.5 L diesel engine and an electric motor–generator unit are integrated via a planetary power split device supported by a high-voltage lithium-ion battery. A MATLAB (R2024b) Simulink model of the hybrid system is developed, and its speed tracking PID controller is optimized using genetic algorithm (GA) and particle swarm optimization (PSO) methods. The simulation results show significant efficiency gains: for example, average fuel consumption falls from 9.952 to 7.014 L/100 km (a 29.5% saving) and CO 2 emissions drop from 260.8 to 186.0 g/km (a 74.8 g reduction), while the vehicle range on a 75 L tank grows by ~40.7% (from 785.7 to 1105.5 km). The optimized series–parallel powertrain design significantly improves urban driving economy and reduces emissions without compromising performance.

Keywords: series-parallel HEV; VW Crafter; MATLAB Simulink; PSO PID tuning; genetic algorithm; fuel economy (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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