Prof. C. C. Chan holds BSc, MSc, PhD and Honorary DSc degrees in electrical engineering. He has had over 10 years industrial experience and over 35 years academic experience. He is currently the Honorary Professor and the former Head of the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, the University of Hong Kong. He is the Founding President of the International Academy for Advanced Study, China. He has served as Visiting Professor of a number of well-known universities around the world, including MIT, University of California Berkeley, Tsinghua University, etc. He is Co-founder of the World Electric Vehicle Association, the President of the Electric Vehicles Association of Asia Pacific, and Past President of the Hong Kong Institution of Engineers. He also serves as Senior Consultant to governments and industries worldwide. Prof. Chan is a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering, U.K., the Chinese Academy of Engineering, the Ukraine Academy of Engineering Sciences, and the Hong Kong Academy of Engineering Sciences. He is also a Fellow of IEEE, IEE and HKIE. He received the IEE International Lecture Medal in 2000 and delivered lectures on electric vehicles worldwide. He was selected as one of Asia’s Best Technology Pioneers by Asiaweek in 2001, named as “Father of Asian Electric Vehicles” by Magazine Global View, named as “Pitamaha (Grandfather) of Electric Vehicle Technology” by the Principal Scientific Advisor of the Government of India.

Philosophy of Engineering and Hybrid Electric Vehicles Technology

 

The presentation discusses the essential of the philosophy of engineering, and the importance of using this philosophy to design hybrid electric vehicles.

 

A good deal of the literature in all areas of philosophy of engineering either focuses on, or uses as a starting point, the distinctions between science and engineering.  That the two differ has been accepted since Ancient Greek distinction between techne and sophia. While science aims at knowledge and understanding, engineering and technology aim at action and production.  The distinction is commonly assumed to be hierarchical.  Science has the higher epistemic status – taking us to toward discovery of the nature of reality, whilst engineering is ‘merely’ applied science, utilizing for practical purposes the knowledge which pure science yields.  Science will be judged ultimately by nature – according to whether it has achieved objective truths about the natural world.  Engineering’s results are judged rather by the needs and preferences of those individuals who utilize them, and there is probably no objective answer to what is the optimum solution to a design or construction problem.

 

Whilst engineering utilizes mathematics in its methods, the kinds of complex problems that engineers face outrun mathematical methods.  It is difficult to straightforwardly apply deductive reasoning to problems which involve radically different factors such as cost, safety, aesthetics as well as technical matters.  Therefore, in order to solve problems, engineers look at past designs and past solutions, and draw analogies between their problem and these paradigm examples.  They must assimilate other problems to the one that they face, and this involves a highly developed ability to see analogies and disanalogies.

 

Another characteristic aspect of engineering method is the role of practice.  Whilst in science there is a three way relationship between knowledge, theory and experiment (each element informing the others), in engineering there is a four way relationship, which includes practice.  Practice motivates theory and experiment in engineering (there is a practical purpose for most research), and engineering knowledge informs, and is also informed by engineering practice.  Any philosophy of engineering must, therefore, accommodate the more complex structure of engineering method.

 

Engineering is the process of applying knowledge and skill to conceive, design, make, build, operate, sustain, recycle or retire something of significant technical content for a specific purpose; this might for example be a concept, a model, a development, a product, a device a process, a system, or a technology.

 

What is “Design”? The process of selecting the means and contriving the elements, steps and procedures for producing what will adequately satisfy some need. “Intelligent Design” argument includes Purpose, creativity, intelligence, foresight, planning and interaction.

 

The Six principles of integrated system design are:

1. Debate, define, revise and pursue the purpose;

The system exists to deliver capability, the end justifies the means

2. Think holistic;

The whole is more than the sum of the parts – and each part is more than a fraction of the whole

3.  be creative;

See the wood before the trees

4. Follow a disciplined procedure;

Divide and conquer, combine and rule

5. Take account of the people;

To err is human

6. Manage the project and the relationships

All for one, one for all

 

The overall EV engineering philosophy essentially is the integration of automobile engineering and electrical engineering. Thus, system integration and optimisation are prime considerations to achieve good EV performance at affordable cost. Since the characteristics of electric propulsion are fundamentally different from those of engine propulsion, a novel design approach is essential for EV engineering. Moreover, advanced energy sources and intelligent energy management are key factors to enable EVs competing with ICEVs. Of course, the overall cost effectiveness is the fundamental factor for the marketability of EVs.

 

The design approach of modern EVs should include state-of-the-art technologies from automobile engineering, electrical and electronic engineering and chemical engineering, should adopt unique designs that particularly suitable for EVs, and should develop special manufacturing technology that particularly suitable for EVs. Every effort should be made to optimise the energy utilisation of EVs.

 

The EV engineering philosophy is the marriage of automotive engineering and electrical engineering which includes motor, power electronic converter, controller, battery or other energy storage device and energy management system. Marriage implies that the bride and the groom have fully understood the character of the partner and able to cope together harmoniously and best perform to achieve the required driveability at maximum energy efficiency and minimum emission.

 

The HEV engineering philosophy is 1+1>2. This implies the added value gained from the integration of engine propulsion and motor propulsion, fully sizes the advantage and flexibility of electrical, electronic and control technologies, not only to increase energy efficiency and reduce emission, but also become more intelligent, driving comfort and safety. Just like mule is the hybrid of horse and moke, mule possesses the best DNA of horse and moke, hence more powerful and endurance. In HEV, the prime key technology is the control algorithm and optimization

 

 

The presentation also summarizes the sate of the art of hybrid electric vehicle technology and the recent development and commercialisation of hybrid electric vehicles.

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