Performance and emissions of a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle equipped with a two-stroke rodless opposed-piston engine with different boosting conditions

The automotive industry is transforming towards electrification, driven by the new mobility standards and legislation. This paper explores the potential of the novel ultra-small 2-stroke rodless opposed-piston engine in the context of plug-in hybrid electric vehicle powertrains. It is evaluated under various driving conditions, including homologation cycles, real-world scenarios, and full-load acceleration tests. Three versions of the 2-stroke rodless opposed-piston engine are considered: naturally aspirated, supercharged, and turbocharged, evaluating their impact on the vehicle performance. The results from the full-load acceleration tests underline the advantages of turbocharging, reaching 0–100 km/h in a charge-sustaining mode in half the time the naturally aspirated version needs. The results from real-world driving cycles reveal up to 55% energy efficiency and tailpipe CO 2 reductions of the plug-in hybrid electric vehicle over the non-hybrid platform in urban conditions. Finally, the simplified life cycle analysis results confirm 45% CO 2 emissions reductions with PHEVs, especially when equipped with turbocharged 2S-ROPE engines.