Hybrid Supercapacitor-Lithium Battery Performance for Electric Vehicles Under WLTP Protocol

Year : 2025 | Volume : 12 | Issue : 01 | Page : 41-59
    By

    C. Armenta -Déu,

  • Erick Espín,

  1. Professor, Facultad de Ciencias Físicas. Universidad Complutense de Madrid. 28040, Madrid, Spain
  2. Professor, Facultad de Ciencias Físicas. Universidad Complutense de Madrid. 28040, Madrid, Spain

Abstract

This work aims to characterize the hybrid electric vehicle performance powered by a hybrid lithium battery/supercapacitor system. The characterization process runs on a standard driving cycle, the World Harmonized Light-duty Vehicle Test Procedure (WLTP), applied in many countries like the European Union but it can be applied to other standards like the American FTP-75 and the Japanese JC08 with similar operational results. The study shows a combination between a lithium battery and a supercapacitor, improving the power source response towards the electric vehicle energy request and power demand, and increasing energy management and efficiency. The hybridization also contributes to lowering premature battery degradation and aging. The hybrid lithium battery/supercapacitor system performance analysis shows a higher reliability in power source operation and less battery wear due to the dual power source efficient management, and its appropriate application to the specific power range request. The main contribution of this work to the current state of the art is the absolute novelty of the method since the proposed procedure has never been applied before, despite commercial electric vehicles with lithium batteries and supercapacitor hybrid power sources being in production. This work represents a significant advancement in the automotive industry since it provides car manufacturers and traffic policymakers with a practical tool to evaluate the performance of this type of vehicle under similar driving conditions to conventional EVs, thus allowing a more accurate and reliable comparative analysis. On the other hand, the study proves the feasibility of the hybrid system and guarantees a continuous vehicle operation for specific driving conditions, providing a practical tool for electric vehicle manufacturers and designers. Additionally, the performance analysis of the hybrid lithium battery and supercapacitor system indicates that this configuration is also valid for storage unit used as power sources in applications other than electric vehicles, representing an added value for energy planners and designers.

Keywords: Electric vehicle (EV), supercapacitor, lithium battery, efficiency, driving cycle, performance evaluation

[This article belongs to Journal of Automobile Engineering and Applications ]

How to cite this article:
C. Armenta -Déu, Erick Espín. Hybrid Supercapacitor-Lithium Battery Performance for Electric Vehicles Under WLTP Protocol. Journal of Automobile Engineering and Applications. 2025; 12(01):41-59.
How to cite this URL:
C. Armenta -Déu, Erick Espín. Hybrid Supercapacitor-Lithium Battery Performance for Electric Vehicles Under WLTP Protocol. Journal of Automobile Engineering and Applications. 2025; 12(01):41-59. Available from: https://journals.stmjournals.com/joaea/article=2025/view=209837


References

  1. Sioshansi R, Denholm Emissions impacts and benefits of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles and vehicle-to-grid services. Environ Sci Technol. 2009; 43(4): 1199–1204.
  2. Casals LC, Martinez-Laserna E, García BA, Nieto Sustainability analysis of the electric vehicle use in Europe for CO2 emissions reduction. J Clean Prod. 2016; 127: 425–437.
  3. Peters GP, Marland G, Le Quéré C, Boden T, Canadell JG, Raupach M Rapid growth in CO2 emissions after the 2008–2009 global financial crisis. Nat Clim Change. 2012; 2(1): 2–4.
  4. Zhang X, Karplus VJ, Qi T, Zhang D, He Carbon emissions in China: How far can new efforts bend the curve? Energy Econ. 2016; 54: 388–395.
  5. Matthews HD, Gillett NP, Stott PA, Zickfeld The proportionality of global warming to cumulative carbon emissions. Nature. 2009; 459(7248): 829–832.
  6. Solomon S, Plattner GK, Knutti R, Friedlingstein Irreversible climate change due to carbon dioxide emissions. Proc Natl Acad Sci. 2009; 106(6): 1704–1709.
  7. Armenta-Déu C, Cattin Real driving range in electric vehicles: Influence on fuel consumption and carbon emissions. World Electr Veh J. 2021; 12(4): 166.
  8. Laurikko J, Granström R, Haakana Assessing range and performance of electric vehicles in Nordic driving conditions–Project “RekkEVidde”. World Electr Veh J. 2012; 5(1): 45–50.
  9. Helmbrecht M, Olaverri-Monreal C, Bengler K, Vilimek R, Keinath How electric vehicles affect driving behavioral patterns. IEEE Intell Transp Syst Mag. 2014; 6(3): 22–32.
  10. Van Haaren Assessment of electric cars’ range requirements and usage patterns based on driving behavior recorded in the National Household Travel Survey of 2009. Earth and Environmental Engineering Department, Columbia University, Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science, New York. 2011; 51, 53.
  11. Bingham C, Walsh C, Carroll Impact of driving characteristics on electric vehicle energy consumption and range. IET Intell Transp Syst. 2012; 6(1): 29–35.
  12. (2025). New European Driving Cycle (NEDC). [Online]. Wikipedia. Available from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_European_Driving_Cycle.
  13. (2025). Worldwide Harmonised Light Vehicles Test Procedure. [Online]. Wikipedia. Available from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Worldwide_Harmonised_Light_Vehicles_Test_
    Procedure.
  14. (2025). FTP-75 (EPA Federal Test Procedure). [Online]. Wikipedia. Available from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FTP-75.
  15. Japan Inspection Organization. (2022). Japanese JC08 Emission Test Cycle. [online] Available from: https://japaninspection.org/japanese-jc08-emission-test-cycle/

16.  Alphabet. (2025). WLTP Explained – What Is It & How It Affects Businesses. [Online] Available from: www.alphabet.com/en-gb/wltp.

  1. Xun Q, Liu Y, Holmberg A comparative study of fuel cell electric vehicles hybridization with battery or supercapacitor. In 2018 IEEE International Symposium on Power Electronics, Electrical Drives, Automation and Motion (SPEEDAM). 2018 Jun; 389–394.
  2. Khaligh A, Li Battery, ultracapacitor, fuel cell, and hybrid energy storage systems for electric, hybrid electric, fuel cell, and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles: State of the art. IEEE Trans Veh Technol. 2010; 59(6): 2806–2814.
  3. Chau KT, Wong Y Hybridization of energy sources in electric vehicles. Energy Convers Manag. 2001; 42(9): 1059–1069.
  4. EV Database. Useable battery capacity of full electric vehicles cheatsheet. [Online]. EV Database. https://ev-database.org/cheatsheet/useable-battery-capacity-electric-car [Accessed online: 17/11/2023].
  • lectric vehicles: A review on power conditioning units and topologies. Renew Sustain Energy Rev. 2017; 76: 268–291.
  1. Changizian S, Ahmadi P, Raeesi M, Javani Performance optimization of hybrid hydrogen fuel cell-electric vehicles in real driving cycles. Int J Hydrog Energy. 2020; 45(60): 35180–35197.
  2. Fernández RÁ, Cilleruelo FB, Martínez I A new approach to battery powered electric vehicles: A hydrogen fuel-cell-based range extender system. Int J Hydrog Energy. 2016; 41(8): 4808–4819.
  3. Armenta-Déu Improving Sustainability in Urban and Road Transportation: Control Device for Dual Battery Block and Fuel Cell Hybrid Power System for Electric Vehicles. Sustainability. 2024; 16(5): 2110. https://www.mdpi.com/2071–1050/16/5/2110. https://www.mdpi.com/2071–1050/
    16/5/2110/pdf
  4. Armenta-Déu C, Cortés Real consumption protocol for driving range determination in EV: application to urban routes. Int J Veh Syst Model Test. 2023; 17(3/4): 244–266. https://doi.
    org/10.1504/IJVSMT.2023.135447
  5. Kouchachvili L, Yaïci W, Entchev Hybrid battery/supercapacitor energy storage system for the electric vehicles, J Power Sources. 2018; 374: 237–248. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.JPOWSOUR.
    2017.11.040
  6. Shchur I, Biletskyi Battery Currents Limitation in Passivity Based Controlled Battery/Supercapacitor Hybrid Energy Storage System. In 2018 IEEE 38th International Conference on Electronics and Nanotechnology (ELNANO). 2018 Apr; 504–510.
  7. Armenta-Déu C, Carriquiry JP, Guzmán Capacity correction factor for Li-ion batteries: influence of the discharge rate. J Energy Storage. 2019 Oct; 25: 100839. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.est.
    2019.100839.
  8. Xia S, Chen Theoretical and experimental investigation of optimal capacitor charging process in RC circuit. Eur Phys J Plus. 2017; 132: 235. https://doi.org/10.1140/epjp/i2017–11507–8
  9. (2025). Toyota RAV4 features. [Online] Available from: https://www.toyota.com/
    rav4/rav4-features/
  10. Thangavel S, Mohanraj D, Girijaprasanna T, Raju S, Dhanamjayulu C, Muyeen S A Comprehensive Review on Electric Vehicle: Battery Management System, Charging Station, Traction Motors. IEEE Access. 2023; 11: 20994–21019. Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc. https://doi.org/10.1109/ACCESS.2023.3250221

Regular Issue Subscription Original Research
Volume 12
Issue 01
Received 20/03/2025
Accepted 20/04/2025
Published 29/04/2025
Publication Time 40 Days


My IP

PlumX Metrics