Ricardo UK, Ford Motor Company, Valeo SA and Gates Corporation have announced the results of a successful collaborative project, code named HyTrans, to demonstrate technologies for an affordable and production-feasible micro-hybrid diesel delivery vehicle.
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Based on the existing Ford Transit, the HyTrans research vehicle – Europe’s first micro-hybrid diesel delivery van – was demonstrated at Ford’s Dunton Technical Centre in Essex
With the increasing popularity of just-in-time commercial deliveries, Internet based home shopping and other direct to consumer channels, urban delivery is an increasing source of commercial vehicle fleet fuel consumption and CO2 emissions.
HyTrans has been a one year collaborative programme intended to develop and demonstrate a micro-hybrid research vehicle capable of delivering substantial fuel savings based on real-world drive cycles representative of this growing mode of vehicle application.
The usage in city driving conditions with frequent braking and stopping both in traffic and for deliveries, makes the implementation of a diesel stop/start strategy, enabled by an appropriately designed electrical system and regenerative braking, particularly attractive in terms of its potential to deliver substantial fuel savings at modest initial cost.
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By GlobalDataIn order to evaluate the HyTrans concept fully, the vehicle was assessed over two real-world drive cycles in addition to the legislated New European Drive Cycle (NEDC). The two real-world drive cycles were based on the acquisition of in-service usage data from the commercial vehicle fleets of Transit customers within the urban delivery sector. Simulation work was carried out at an early stage of the project in order to refine the design in terms of its ability to deliver the targeted fuel consumption savings.
The HyTrans research vehicle is based on the T280 Diesel Ford Transit to which a Valeo 4kW 42V belt-driven combined starter/alternator (StARS) – which Ford refers to as a Belt-driven Integrated Starter Generator System (B-ISG) – has been fitted together with a Valeo 1.5kW 14/42V DC/DC converter, advanced 36V lead acid battery and Valeo Battery Management System (BMS).
The belt-driven combined starter alternator is connected to the engine through a Gates designed Front End Ancillary Drive (FEAD) system and the vehicle’s stop/start (referred to by Valeo as Start-Stop) and regenerative braking functions are managed by a Ricardo supervisory control system embedded in a production derived engine management unit.
The partners estimate that the technology embodied in a future commercial product based on HyTrans would be reflected in a slightly increased purchase price compared to a conventional diesel vehicle, but that this would be more than off-set by fuel consumption savings over a typical service life of 3-4 years of urban delivery.
The practical design and construction of the HyTrans research vehicle also means that the projected non-fuel operating costs and maintenance procedures would be similar to the baseline diesel vehicle, making it particularly attractive to fleet managers in this sector.
For drivers too, no special operation of the vehicle is required and performance should be identical to that of the baseline Transit.
Following an initial warm-up period where the vehicle control strategy prevents stop/start operation until the catalyst has achieved its light-off temperature, the engine will stop automatically whenever the vehicle is stationary with the engine at idle and with the gear lever in the neutral position.
Restart is effected as soon as the driver starts to depress the clutch pedal and, due to the high torque capacity of the belt-driven combined starter/alternator, the engine is already running before gear selection is completed. In addition to providing substantial fuel consumption savings over real-world urban delivery cycles, the HyTrans vehicle also eliminates the tiresome idle noise and vibration which can contribute to driver stress and discomfort in congested traffic situations.
“The HyTrans research vehicle has demonstrated that fuel consumption savings in excess of 20 per cent are achievable based on a real-world urban delivery drive cycle,” said Ricardo chief executive officer, Rodney Westhead. “While more extensive hybridisation may be appropriate to many other duty cycles and applications, the diesel micro-hybrid offers a particularly cost-effective and practical solution for the rapidly expanding urban delivery market sector.”
The HyTrans research vehicle will now undergo a 12-month demonstration and test programme which will see it being driven and appraised by fleets and other prospective customers. The viability of a product based on HyTrans going into production will be reviewed by Ford in early 2006.
