National Renewable Energy Laboratory

Vehicle Systems Analysis

Related Links

Here you'll find information related to NREL's vehicle systems analysis capabilities and R&D activities, including:

Models and Tools

NREL's vehicle system analysts use the following modeling software and tools.

ADVISOR
Provides rapid analysis of the performance and fuel economy of conventional and advanced, light and heavy-duty vehicle models as well as hybrid electric and fuel cell vehicle models.
From AVL

AVL BOOST
Allows you to build a model of the entire engine by selecting elements from a toolbox and connecting them by pipe elements.
From AVL

CRUISE
Performs vehicle simulation and powertrain analyses, particularly for developing and optimizing low emission engines, reliable powertrains and sophisticated control systems of engines, cooling and transmission systems.
From AVL

FIRE
Helps solve engine-related computational fluid dynamics (CFD) problems through 3-D modeling.
From AVL

GREET Model
Allows researchers and analysts to evaluate various vehicle and fuel combinations on a full fuel-cycle basis.
From Argonne National Laboratory

MATLAB and Simulink
Provide a technical computing environment and graphical tools for simulation and model-based design.
From Mathworks

PSAT (Powertrain System Analysis Toolkit)
Simulates fuel economy and performance in a realistic manner - taking into account transient behavior and control system characteristics.
From Argonne National Laboratory

SimDriveline
Extends Simulink with tools for modeling and simulating the mechanics of driveline (drivetrain) systems.
From MathWorks

VISION Model
Consists of two Excel workbooks: a base case of U.S. highway fuel use and carbon emissions to 2050, and a copy of the base case that can be modified to reflect alternative assumptions about advanced vehicle and alternative fuel market penetration.
From Argonne National Laboratory

National Laboratories

NREL's vehicle systems analysts collaborate with the following U.S. Department of Energy laboratories on some of their R&D activities: