Controlled Power Technologies (CPT) in association with the Advanced Lead Acid Battery Consortium (ALABC) is to build a ‘Low Carbon Super Hybrid’ technology demonstrator based on a VW Passat family saloon providing carmakers with real world verification of its concept for a new class of ‘micro-mild’ hybrid vehicle.
The technology to be incorporated will demonstrate significantly reduced CO2 emissions at relatively low cost compared to full hybrid and range-extended electric vehicles, and crucially without destroying the fun-to-drive factor of gasoline engines.
CPT has released initial details of the project earlier this month at an engine downsizing conference organised by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers at its headquarters in London, where CPT engineering director and chief technical officer Guy Morris delivered a technical presentation on the company’s technology.
“Aggressively downsized and turbo-boosted gasoline engines offer a cost-effective route to CO2 reduction, but typically suffer from poor torque response,” says Morris.
“However, when combined with low-voltage electric supercharging, a high-power integrated starter generator and low-cost energy storage, the industry can deliver a highly competitive micro-mild hybrid vehicle.”
“The CPT/ALABC concept approaches full hybrid CO2 reduction potential, but at much lower cost and without compromising dynamic performance,” he added.
“Essentially, the new demonstrator will achieve better fuel economy than the VW Passat Blue Motion model on which it is based, the current benchmark for this class of vehicle, but with more performance and competitive component costs.”
This latest development by CPT of its micro hybrid technology - which is already at a high level of technology and manufacturing readiness - avoids the expense, higher voltage power electronics and massive battery packs required for electric vehicles.
It provides an as yet unfulfilled low voltage solution for the important high volume market segment critical to OEM commercial success.
The CPT/ALABC ‘LC Super Hybrid’ demonstrator has the technical backing and financial support of the Advanced Lead Acid Battery Consortium, which is developing carbon- enhanced lead acid batteries suited to the concept of a micro-mild hybrid vehicle.
Improved battery design allows for an excellent charge and discharge characteristic, while the carbon-enhanced negative plate formulations dramatically improve life under this duty cycle. These next generation batteries are already under test in pre-production vehicles.
“Novel solutions are required to meet vehicle CO2 requirements at a cost that is affordable to the average motorist,” says Allan Cooper, European projects coordinator for the ALABC.
“The CPT micro-hybrid technology is a good match for a carbon-enhanced lead acid battery and the micro-mild concept offers outstanding potential for reducing CO2 emissions with a low manufacturing on-cost. We’re confident there will be a lot of interest from the industry and anticipate that our battery producing members will soon be working on specific OEM customer requirements.”
The CPT/ALABC ‘LC Super Hybrid’ project, which provides the low voltage equivalent of a more expensive mild hybrid vehicle, is expected to deliver between 15 and 25 per cent CO2 reduction. The additional cost to the vehicle manufacturer is estimated at between €750 and €1,500.
The CO2 reduction and cost variance depends on the exact specification of the vehicle electrical system, its operating voltage and energy storage capacity.
The technology is easily scalable for enhanced performance with increased voltage. The demonstrator vehicle will be built initially for 12 volt operation but will have the capability to be easily reconfigured for 48 volt operation reflecting a new electrical system standard currently under development. These voltages are substantially less than those of full hybrid and plug-in electric vehicles and therefore inherently safer.
By comparison, a full hybrid typically delivers between 15 and 20 per cent CO2 reduction, but incurs an additional manufacturing cost of between €3,000 and €5,000.
A plug-in hybrid EV meanwhile can deliver better than 20 per cent CO2 reduction, but the additional manufacturing cost increases to between €6,000 and €10,000 - hence the need for government subsidies so these vehicles are affordable for early adopters of EV technology.
The CPT/ALABC LC Super Hybrid demonstrator builds on work already carried out with AVL List over the past two years, who have been commissioned to build the demonstrator vehicle.
The new demonstrator further develops AVL’s efficient low carbon ELC concept for micro-mild hybrid application by incorporating CPT’s next generation SpeedStart stop-system, which includes intelligent torque and current control with enhanced stop-start capabilities.
The SpeedStart system is the world’s most powerful B-ISG to operate at 12 volts, and the first and only system so far to resolve all stop-start issues including the notorious driver ‘change of mind’ problem.
The ALABC carbon-enhanced lead-acid battery designs will help maximise energy recuperation during deceleration, fully realising SpeedStart’s potential for high power generation and electrical energy recovery. Battery management expertise will be provided by Provector, which has worked with the ALABC on hybrid projects for many years.
Together with CPT’s VTES electric supercharger, the combined technologies will be applied to a series production 1.4-litre downsized and turbocharged VW Passat TSI Blue Motion family saloon.
CPT’s micro-mild hybrid technology will facilitate increased vehicle performance allowing recalibration of the engine to increase power from 122 to 140PS and torque from 200 to 260Nm.
The demonstrator will have lower fuel consumption and a target for CO2 emissions of 130g/km.