Optimizing series hybrid truck performance with synthetic Fuels: From engine testing to vehicle simulation

[EN] Decarbonizing heavy-duty transport requires balancing environmental impact, performance, and feasibility. This study investigates combining a synthetic oxygenated fuel blend (85% diesel, 15% OMEx) with a series hybrid powertrain to cut tailpipe and life-cycle CO2 emissions. Engine tests on a si...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Martínez-Boggio, Santiago Daniel, Iñiguez-Barrios, Erasmo Antonio|||0009-0001-9930-7488, Monsalve-Serrano, Javier|||0000-0001-8593-095X, García Martínez, Antonio|||0000-0001-5783-4936
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Fecha de publicación:2026
País:España
Institución:Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV)
Repositorio:RiuNet. Repositorio Institucional de la Universitat Politécnica de Valéncia
Idioma:inglés
OAI Identifier:oai:dnet:riunet______::1647d80cd3f1f6629fe3e05b1476fa25
Acceso en línea:https://riunet.upv.es/handle/10251/236100
Access Level:acceso embargado
Palabra clave:E-fuels
OMEx
Hybrid powertrains
Emissions regulations
Engine calibration
Descripción
Sumario:[EN] Decarbonizing heavy-duty transport requires balancing environmental impact, performance, and feasibility. This study investigates combining a synthetic oxygenated fuel blend (85% diesel, 15% OMEx) with a series hybrid powertrain to cut tailpipe and life-cycle CO2 emissions. Engine tests on a single-cylinder platform explored drop-in, iso-load, and optimized calibrations. The optimized strategy exploited OMEx's oxygen content, reducing soot by over 50% and NOx significantly, while maintaining competitive fuel efficiency. These results were integrated into a vehicle simulation of a medium-duty hybrid truck under regulatory drive cycles. Optimization of battery size and energy management showed that mid-sized packs (similar to 45 kWh) maximize tank-to-wheel CO2 reductions without excessive mass. Life cycle analysis indicated 15-30% CO2 savings for series hybrid, with optimized control outperforming simpler strategies. Compared with diesel, battery-electric trucks halved life-cycle CO2 but required large 300 kWh batteries, increasing weight and limiting range (250 km vs. 700 km). Although Battery Electric Vehicles offer the lowest tailpipe emissions, their mass and infrastructure demands limit short-term applicability. Conversely, hybrids using diesel/OMEx retain conventional range while delivering meaningful CO2 cuts. This integration offers a pragmatic, near-term pathway to decarbonize medium-duty transport until large-scale electrification becomes viable.