Refining Control, Charging, and Battery Chemistry for CO ₂ e Savings in Heavy-Duty Off-Road Plug-In Series Hybrid

With current and future regulations continuing to drive reductions in carbon dioxide equivalent (CO₂e) emissions in the on-road industry, the off-road industry is also likely to be regulated for fuel and CO₂e savings. This work focuses on converting a heavy-duty off-road material handler from a conventional diesel powertrain to a plug-in series hybrid, achieving a 49% fuel reduction and 29% CO₂e reduction via simulation. Control strategies were refined for energy savings, including a regenerative braking strategy to increase regenerative braking and a load-following hydraulic strategy to decrease electrical energy consumption. The load-following hydraulic control shuts off the hydraulic electric machine when it is not needed—an approach not previously seen in a load-sensing, pressure-compensated system. These strategies achieved a 24.1% fuel savings, resulting in total savings of 61% in fuel and 41% in CO₂e in the plug-in series compared to the conventional machine. Beyond control strategies, this study evaluated battery chemistry and charging strategy refinements for total cost of ownership (TCO) and lifetime CO₂e. LFP batteries emerged as the most cost-effective and least emitting due to their longer lifespan, which reduced replacement frequency. Charging comparisons showed that Level 2 charging (L2C) typically resulted in lower TCO but higher lifetime CO₂e than DC fast charging (DCFC). DCFC costs were heavily influenced by local demand charges, and DCFC emissions were heavily influenced by local grid emissions.