Hybrid haul truck route optimization based on battery charge

A system comprising:

• a plurality of vehicles, wherein each of the plurality of vehicles comprises:
• a chassis;
• an engine connected to the chassis;
• an alternator connected to the engine;
• a drive system connected to the alternator;
• a plurality of wheel motors connected to the drive system;
• a plurality of wheels connected to the plurality of wheel motors;
• a battery connected to the plurality of wheel motors and to the alternator, the battery having a respective maximum charge;
• and
• a computer processor connected via a plurality of sensors to the engine, the alternator, the drive system, the plurality of wheel motors, the plurality of wheels, and the battery;
• and
• a central dispatch system programmed to assign the plurality of vehicles to a plurality of routes on a routing plan, within a constraint of the respective maximum charge in the battery of each of the plurality of vehicles, to maximize an overall amount of electrical charge generated by the plurality of vehicles while operating the plurality of vehicles on the plurality of routes.

A method comprising:

• measuring an initial charge in a battery of a vehicle comprising a wheel and a wheel motor connected to the wheel and to the battery;
• predicting, by a computer processor, a plurality of expected increases in a charge of the battery, a plurality of expected decreases in the charge of the battery, or a combination thereof, while operating the vehicle over a plurality of routes in a routing plan;
• selecting a selected route from among the plurality of routes according to at least one of:
• the initial charge, a maximum net increase in the charge on the selected route relative to other routes on the plurality of routes, a minimum decrease in the charge on the selected route relative to the other routes, or maintaining the charge on the selected route relative to the other routes;
• and
• operating the vehicle on the selected route before operating the vehicle on the other routes.