Advanced hybrid electric vehicle design through on-board wind energy integration: Impacts on fuel efficiency and emission mitigation

This study proposes an advanced and quantitatively validated energy management strategy for a parallel hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) that integrates an on-board wind energy harvesting system aimed at improving fuel economy and mitigating emissions. The wind turbine recovers part of the vehicle’s aerodynamic and kinetic energy to generate electricity for real-time battery charging, thereby extending the electric driving mode. To optimally distribute energy between the battery, wind turbine, and internal combustion engine (ICE), Pontryagin’s Minimum Principle (PMP) is employed, as it provides real-time implementable control laws with low computational cost compared to dynamic programming. A novel analytical expression of ICE efficiency is derived to enforce operation near its optimal efficiency region. The complete methodology, including wind turbine maximum power point tracking (MPPT), optimal control flow, and traction power split, is modeled and validated on a combined European and American standardized driving cycle. Simulation results reveal that increasing the turbine radius significantly decreases ICE contribution and reduces fuel consumption up to 14.3% in L / 100 km . Ecological gains are clearly demonstrated, with notable decreases in CO 2 , NO x , CO , and hydrocarbon emissions relative to the baseline configuration. In particular, integrating a wind turbine with a 0 . 85 m blade radius yields a further 20–30% reduction in these pollutants, underscoring its strong potential to advance low-carbon transportation. The reduction trend becomes even more noticeable as the turbine radius increases, highlighting the positive environmental contribution of the proposed system. Experimental validation on a prototype pickup truck equipped with a small rear-mounted wind turbine confirms the numerical findings, achieving a peak harvested power of approximately 1000 W at 95 km/h, and demonstrating the practical feasibility of wind-assisted electrified propulsion. These outcomes highlight the potential of combining optimal control with renewable on-board energy harvesting as a pathway toward cleaner and more sustainable mobility. • A novel hybrid electric vehicle architecture integrating a wind turbine is proposed and experimentally validated. • The embedded MPPT-based control strategy ensures maximum aerodynamic power extraction under variable driving speeds. • Experimental results demonstrate a significant improvement in battery charging efficiency and extended driving range. • This eco-efficient concept supports sustainable mobility by improving energy autonomy and reducing environmental impact.