Multidiscipline Learning Materials for Hybrid Electric Vehicle Technology

World competition and stringent United States fuel economy goals and emission regulations for the 21st Century vehicle have pressured the automotive industry to design and evaluate advanced automobiles at an accelerated rate. The industry consensus is that the Hybrid Electric Vehicle (HEV) is the currently available technology for increasing propulsion system efficiency and decreasing pollutant emissions. However, HEVs operate much differently than conventional vehicles. Therefore, existing design techniques and guidelines developed for conventional powertrains do not apply well to hybrid vehicles. There is a need for training automotive technicians and engineers as well as educating students in this new and emergent technology of HEV. This paper describes a funded project whose goal is to fill this need by developing multidiscipline learning materials for HEV technology. This project targets engineering/engineering technology students in 4-year universities, automotive technology students in community colleges, automotive engineers and technicians in industries, and technology teachers in secondary schools.