An approach to reliability, availability and maintainability analysis of a plug-in electric vehicle

Abstract

Electric vehicle technologies have seen rapid development in recent years. However, Reliability, Availability, and Maintainability (RAM) related concerns still have restricted large-scale commercial utilization of these vehicles. This paper presents an approach to carry out a quantitative RAM analysis of a plug-in electric vehicle. A mathematical model is developed in the Markov Framework incorporating the reliability characteristics of all significant electrical components of the vehicle system, namely battery, motor, drive, controllers, charging unit, and energy management unit. The study shows that the vehicle’s survivability can be increased by improving its components’ restoration rates. The paper also investigates the role of a charging station on the availability of the vehicle. It illustrates how the grid power supply’s reliability influences the operational effectiveness of a plug-in electric vehicle. The concepts that are presented in the article can support further study on the reliability design and maintenance of a plug-in electric vehicle.