Design and Optimization of a Dual-Input Coupling Powertrain System: A Case Study for Electric Tractors

Abstract

In this study, a dual-input coupling powertrain system (DICPS) was proposed to improve the energy utilization efficiency of pure electric tractors (PETs). The working principles of the DICPS under different modes were analyzed and dynamic models were established. To study the influence of changing key parameters in the DICPS on the economic performance of PETs, a parameter-matching design method was proposed and the feasible region of the design parameters was determined according to the tractor’s dynamic performance. In addition, we put forward an energy management strategy (EMS) based on the optimal system efficiency and a dual-motor-driven electric tractor (DMET) model was built in MATLAB/Simulink. The simulation results revealed that different parameter configurations of DICPS will lead to significant changes in overall efficiency, with a maximum difference of 6.6% (under a rotary tillage cycle). We found that the optimal parameter configuration for the DMET under two typical working conditions was PDR = 0.5, k = 1.6. Compared with the single-motor powertrain system (SMPS), the DICPS with the optimal configuration of key parameters can significantly improve overall efficiency by about 9.8% (under a plowing cycle).