Model-based design of a Vehicle Management Unit and an Electric Retrofit Kit for the reconversion of internal combustion engine vehicles

Simone Zocco

Model-based design of a Vehicle Management Unit and an Electric Retrofit Kit for the reconversion of internal combustion engine vehicles.

Rel. Alessandro Rizzo. Politecnico di Torino, Corso di laurea magistrale in Mechatronic Engineering (Ingegneria Meccatronica), 2024

Abstract

It is now widely known that purely electric vehicle technology represents one of the most likely technological scenarios for the coming years. However, its full implementation still faces some challenges that have not been completely overcome yet: 1. The cost of a fully electric vehicle, including batteries, is barely below 40,000 euros. 2. The supply chain for components and subsystems is not ready to offer optimized solutions according to automotive standards. 3. There are a lot of vehicles with Euro 3 or Euro 4 emission ratings that, despite being perfectly operational, will no longer be usable in urban centers. Their disposal will still represent a cost.

A possible solution to overcome the above limitations is the development of an electrical device, called VMU (Vehicle Management Unit) together with the Electric Retrofit Kit (ERK, which includes a battery, an inverter, a motor and a DC-DC converter) to be adapted to an already existing vehicle as part of a “retrofit” activity that involves the conversion of a polluting vehicle into a purely electric one