Factors Influencing Energy Consumption in Plug-In Hybrid Vehicles: A Field Study

The paper assesses the impact of key factors influencing energy consumption for a Plug-in Hybrid Vehicle (PHEV) passenger car based on actual operating conditions over a period of one year. The tests were carried out in various climatic conditions, by random drivers, on the roads and streets of a medium-sized city in Poland. The use of PHEV with the prepared measuring procedure allowed for the analysis of energy consumption separately for the internal combustion and electric drive system. The total energy consumption directly depends on the way the car is used and on the availability of energy in fuel tank and traction battery. The calculated energy consumption varied from 20.19 to 41.97 kWh/100 km. The results were compared to other vehicles operated in real conditions, registered in a public database. The recorded minimum values of energy consumption correspond to the electric drive system, and the maximum values to the internal combustion drive system.