At the 2011 Chicago Auto Show, Buick announced that the 2012 Regal will be its second vehicle to sport the eAssist mild hybrid system—following in the footsteps of the 2012 Buick LaCrosse. With an EPA estimated 26 mpg city and 37 mpg highway, the 2012 Regal with eAssist will be 25 percent more fuel efficient than the conventional four-cylinder Regal.

GM’s mild hybrid system utilizes a relatively simple 15 kW motor/generator mated to a 2.4 liter Ecotec four-cylinder engine with a 6-speed transmission and connected to a 115 Volt, 65 pound lithium-ion battery which is recharged via regenerative braking. The battery is built by Hitachi and tuned for quick power input and output instead of high energy storage, as with a full hybrid or electric vehicle.

“We’re going after the low hanging fruit of hybridization,” said Steve Poulos, Buick’s Global Chief Engineer for Mild Hybrid and Battery Electric Powertrains on a call with media. “We go after the things we can do with a simpler, lower cost electrical system and try and apply those to a mainstream conventional vehicle.”

Poulos added that GM is trying to lead in the “light electrification” arena. “We’ve done a lot of work on the Chevy Volt to try and lead at the high end of things and see how far can we take a technology, but we’re also trying to lead in this more foundational approach,” he said.

The eAssist system uses the energy stored in its batteries via regenerative braking to accomplish three things, as explained by Poulos on the call:

• “After we recapture energy from regenerative braking, the first trick we do is shut the engine off and turn it back on automatically every time you come to a stop. This is typically thought of as start-stop and it is one of the features that most hybrids have and we’re able to do that very smoothly with the motor/generator.”

• “The second thing we do is we shut the fuel off completely every time we decelerate and the extra torque of the motor/generator means that when you decide to change your mind in the middle of that, you can very smoothly drive away. You will have the very quick response time you need without having to relight the engine. We can do that very aggressively—much more so than on a conventional powertrain.”

• “The third thing we do is we provide electric boost during grade type maneuvers. When we get into a [uphill] situation we can apply extra boost from the electric motor and that will keep the transmission from downshifting. With this system we are able to go two final drive ratios more economical than the base vehicle.”

GM says that the end result of the eAssist technology is a car that has the same performance, drivability and comfort as other Buicks, but with higher fuel economy. Although slightly less robust, the system bears similarities to Honda’s mild hybrid technology.

Although eAssist isn’t as flashy as the technology used in the Chevy Volt, the potential for vast fuel savings is not being overlooked by G.M. It’s an effective and affordable technology that can be spread across entire lines of vehicles, much the way that Toyota, for example, wants to extend its hybrid technology to all its popular models. After all, it’s going to take some time for fully electric and plug-in hybrid technology to reach economies of scale, and begin to come down in price.

The 2012 Buick Regal with eAssist goes on sale in late 2011.

The post GM Expands eAssist Mild Hybrid System to 2012 Buick Regal appeared first on HybridCars.com.

As the luxury brand of Nissan, Infiniti has built its name on the back of its parent company—often benefitting from the larger organization’s research and development. But with the Infiniti M35h Hybrid—a vehicle designed from the ground up to meet the demands of luxury customers—the tables have been turned.

Merging Performance Beast With Efficiency Beauty

After several hours of driving in both L.A. traffic and on winding, less-traveled back roads, I can say without a doubt that the Infiniti M35h Hybrid sedan is a brand new type of beast—merging performance and efficiency in an unprecedented package. When I drove it gently, I was able to return about 30 miles per gallon and spent about 57 percent of the time in EV mode. But when I needed to pass or get around a sticky traffic situation, the torque and power that provides a 5.5 second 0-60 mph time was incredibly useful…and provided heart-pounding exhilaration.

With a 7-speed, sport-tuned transmission, the M35h shifts seamlessly and smoothly. Due to the added benefit of an electric motor, it has such high gear ratios that it can drive at 65 mph in 2nd gear—giving you a sense of what kind of maniacal driving this car is capable of.

Certainly if you drive the M35h Hybrid like a race car you won’t see nearly as good fuel economy; my spirited driving session returned, eh, about 18 miles per gallon. But if you drive it with even a slight concern for efficiency, it will reward you in droves. The EPA rates the Infiniti M35h at 27 mpg city and 32 mpg highway.

“It’s the only vehicle with more than 350 horsepower and greater than 30 miles per gallon on the highway,” said Kyle Bazemore, Senior Manager Infiniti Communications, in an interview with HybridCars.com. “It has best-in-class fuel economy, V8 power and we don’t have that rubber-band CVT transmission.”

Infiniti’s First In-House Designed Hybrid, But Not For Nissan?

While the Nissan Altima Hybrid was built on top of a modified Toyota Prius system, the M35h Hybrid features Infiniti’s—and Nissan’s—first in-house designed hybrid drivetrain. Although the one-motor, two-clutch parallel hybrid system is considered last-generation technology by some, the fact that Infiniti was able to squeeze such amazing performance and decent fuel economy out of it is testament to both the engineers’ skills and the amount of life left in such a system.

Underneath the hood, a 3.5-liter V6 engine is mated with a 50 kW electric motor, providing a total output of 360 horsepower—placing it right in between the V6-powered M37 and V8-powered M56. Using its high-power lithium ion batteries, the M35h can travel in EV mode at speeds up to 60 mph (85 while cruising) for distances of one mile at a time and recharges the battery while braking and when the engine is running.

Interestingly enough, although Nissan is the parent company of Infiniti, company officials told me that the only platform that Infiniti shared with Nissan was the Z and therefore it is unlikely that the M35h drivetrain would make its way into any Nissan vehicles.

Solid First Generation, But Second Gen Could Benefit From a Few Changes

The M35h has a huge amount of flexibility in how you can display all the eco-statistics of the car including when it’s in EV mode, how energy is fluxing throughout vehicle, and fuel economy—but drivers of this car will never need it and likely never use it. In fact, looking at this car from the a luxury performance driver’s perspective, many of these items that would be considered “features” by people who are concerned with fuel economy are likely to instead be complicating annoyances.

Even the Eco mode is superfluous. In that mode, the car provides physical feedback to limit the amount of pedal travel and stop you from accelerating like you would want to. I used it for two hours straight—even though I got annoyed with it after about a half hour—and found that my right foot started to hurt from having to exert so much pressure. In a conventional non-luxury vehicle this feature would likely be ignored by most, but in a luxury performance vehicle nobody will ever use it. It’s just another unneeded layer of complication.

When pushing the car to pass and under heavy acceleration, the M35h has slow steering response—I occasionally felt like I was having to push where I wanted it to go. Also, as with almost all parallel hybrids, the M35h exhibits a bit of a lag time when accelerating from a standing start after coming to a stop. It’s not nearly as bad as with some other hybrids, but this is a feature that performance drivers may find slightly annoying.

No Compromises, But Will it Be a Hit?

The M35h is almost indistinguishable from its M37 and M56 brethren. The only difference between them is the rear badge and the “hybrid” label—otherwise they have the same paint and interior choices. They also have the same package choices with the exception that the sport package isn’t available on the Hybrid. This similarity is something Infiniti was shooting for, so mission accomplished.

“Key to our customers is that they’re not looking for a hybrid that feels different,” said Dusty Pierson, an Infiniti Vehicle Performance Development Engineer, in an interview with HybridCars.com. “To them, ‘Hybrid’ is a subtle statement that they make—in fact they don’t really want to give up anything to gain the fuel economy.”

So why make the changes as all? An important driver for Infiniti right now is meeting new stringent fuel economy regulations around the world. The regular Infiniti customer is incredibly isolated from fluctuations in fuel prices and won’t be swayed by the fuel economy argument alone—until it reaches a much higher threshold than for the average consumer. Even so Pierson acknowledged that Infiniti needed to start planning for the future now saying, “We know that things are going to change so that when prices do get up to that level that customers have the right choices and we have the right business plan to adapt.”

By building a vehicle with “no compromises,” Infiniti feels they’ve entered uncharted territory, but thinks there will be a significant market for it. “I think there’s an opportunity here given the fact that—if you can bring a technology like this to market that gives great fuel economy, gives performance and there are minimal tradeoffs in the premium segment—there’s a large opportunity,” said Pierson. “It’s not just the hybrid customer—our whole goal is that we are not sacrificing performance for the brand or this car and we wanted to get both. I think we’ve done that.”

“Recent Infiniti focus groups with a small sample of luxury customers thought the M56 was over the top for them with the V8 and opted for M37 with V6—not because of cost difference, but just because they didn’t feel they needed the power,” said Pierson. “Several of them came away after driving the M35h and said that’s the car they want—and it had nothing to do with the hybrid and everything to do with performance. The M35h has better horsepower and better torquefeel, and they said that they would consider this car over the V6 or the V8 for that reason alone.”

The post Infiniti M35h First Drive: Making Efficient Hybrids Hot appeared first on HybridCars.com.

It’s official. The small car wars have begun. It started with the introduction of both the 2011 Chevy Cruze and 2011 Hyundai Elantra last year—of which the Elantra is a truly compelling package. But with the 2012 Focus—available in early 2011—Ford is bringing some real competition for the seeming-to-have-it-all Elantra. Both cars offer incredible fuel efficiency in a good-looking and well-designed package, laden with some seriously cool technology.

Today, a market that for years has been known as the resting ground of uninspired econoboxes, is lively with competition—even the venerable Toyota Corolla and Honda Civic will be getting much needed refreshes to maintain competitiveness. Whereas before the small car market was content to just limp along with anemic sales, it’s current vibrancy is being pushed along by rising gas prices, increased environmental awareness and looming stringent fuel economy regulations.

And the 2012 Ford Focus is perhaps the most interesting of these new small car offerings to date. In my 2011 Elantra review, I said the Elantra was the equivalent of an automotive Unicorn. And if that’s the case, the 2012 Ford Focus is a Unicorn with demon horns. Let me explain.

It Can Turn You Into a Race Car Driver, But Sips Gas With the Best of Them

The 2012 Focus comes with a group of standard features—torque vectoring control chief among them—that make even the least confident drivers among us feel like they know exactly what they’re doing when they hit a corner at high speeds. What is torque vectoring control? Suffice it to say that it uses the car’s brakes to apply more force to the inside wheels in a corner, with grip subsequently being transferred to the outside wheels. The result? A driving experience normally reserved for high-performance motoring. Seriously, it’s that fun.

Fun to Drive and 40 miles per gallon.

While torque vectoring can be given the lion’s share of the credit for the Focus’ driving dynamics, the vehicle also benefits from beefy front and rear stabilizer bars, available four-wheel disc brakes, and a substantial 160 horsepower 2.0-liter engine.

When I had the car full throttle in the canyons surrounding Malibu last week, it took a hold of my wild side and pushed me to take it to the limits. I was entering corners cautioned for 25 mph at 50 mph and hardly slowed down, coming out the other side feeling energized by the experience. I did this corner after corner and every time the result was the same.

And while performance is normally associated with lower fuel economy, the 2012 Focus is estimated to return 40 mpg on the highway (official EPA fuel economy hasn’t been released yet). Don’t get me wrong, if you drive this car like I did for a couple of hours on windy back roads, you likely won’t get anywhere near 40 mpg. But when driven as you would normally drive a car on a day-to-day basis, you’ll find it behaves like a docile puppy and sips fuel in a miserly fashion. With a standard louvered grille, advanced engine technology and low wind resistance, the Focus is designed for it.

The Opening Bid is Incredibly Reasonable, But it Tops Out at The High End

While the 2011 Elantra has Value with a capital “V” written all over it, the Focus’ value is in the fact that it is far more customizable, can be loaded with a bewildering array of advanced technology options, and is available as both a sedan and hatchback. Sure, the low end Focus starts at around $16,000, but when you fill the hatchback with every doodad possible you can expect it to cost around $28,000. That seems to be where things are headed and the market keeps telling automakers that it wants the ability to load a car to the gills. In fact, Ford says that most of their buyers opt for a significant amount of upgrades—and car companies have to make money somewhere.

Standard at $16,000, you’ll get the sedan version with a manual transmission, electronic stability control with torque vectoring, front disc/rear drum brakes, and most of the things Americans expect as basic features in a modern vehicle—including power windows, telescoping steering wheel, A/C, tire pressure monitoring and remote keyless entry.

From there on up you add a ridiculous list of equipment, so that at about $28,0000 your Focus hatchback includes a massive 8-inch touch screen with navigation and the MyFord Touch driver interface, a 10 speaker (including subwoofer) 355-watt Sony sound system, a moonroof, back-up camera, sport tuned suspension, HD radio, Sirius satellite radio, push-button start, cruise control, four-wheel disc brakes, 18″ wheels, rain-sensing wipers, power driver’s seat, heated front seats, and an AUTOMATED parallel parking system that parks the car without you touching the wheel in less than 24 seconds.

It’s Comfortable, Stylish and Functional

The 2012 Focus seats fit me like a glove. Granted, I’m not a large person, but even more expensive cars struggle to make a two hour drive without starting to cause stiffness. The dash was easy to read and pleasing on the eyes and all the various buttons and dials were positioned for easy reach.

Since Ford made this Focus to be distributed around the world, the styling was developed in a way that the whole world could enjoy. With what Ford calls “kinetic design” (similar to Hyundai’s “fluidic sculpture”), the designers gave the 2012 Focus an understated modern look reminiscent of the British racecars of old. Between the sedan and the hatchback, the hatchback does the best job of looking good. The interior is also modern without being over the top.

All that style and comfort is enhanced by the fact that the Focus is also an incredibly functional car—especially given that it’s available as a hatchback. The hatchback has over 114 cubic feet of total interior volume, of which more than 90 is reserved for passengers—keep in mind it’s a hatchback and that 90 can expand or contract based on folded second row seats. For perspective, the 2011 Toyota Camry has a total of 116.4 cubic feet of interior volume.

Wrapping it Up

If these new entrants into the small car arena are any indication, the next few years should bring small car cutthroat competition like never before—and the 2012 Focus is poised to be one of the most popular. While it’s not the most affordable small car out there, it brings so much technology to the table that it borders on overwhelming the competition with its intellect. And if the intellect doesn’t get you, just throw it into a few corners with wild abandon and you’ll see what I mean.

The post 2012 Ford Focus appeared first on HybridCars.com.

Over the last 100 years, Ford has been built on the principle that every person in the United States should be able to afford a vehicle. With pioneering initiatives such as honing the efficiency of automotive assembly lines and controlling all aspects of vehicle manufacturing from metal forging to delivery, Henry Ford was a visionary who helped bring the dream of vehicle ownership to millions. Indeed, part of that legacy is the fact that almost every licensed driver in the U.S. now has at least one vehicle.

But at a recent media event associated with the Detroit Auto Show, Sue Cischke, Ford’s Group Vice President of Sustainability, Environment and Safety Engineering, said that Ford doesn’t see how that model could work in the developing world. Citing population growth and the massive movement of people from rural areas to megacities, Cischke said there is “unprecedented pressure” on our transportation systems.

“Clearly, the model we have in the U.S. where nearly every licensed driver has a car or two, isn’t going to work in these very crowded regions,” said Cischke. “Quite frankly, as we sit here today [Ford doesn't] have a solution for the transportation dilemmas we find in the megacities, but we’re actively engaged in understanding the issues and finding solutions.”

As a business interested in profit, Ford seems to be conflicted: the company wants to make vehicles available to as many people as they possibly can but knows that it can’t sell vehicles to everybody on the planet. One of Ford’s first steps to addressing this conundrum has been to provide increasingly fuel efficient vehicles—but even this is a stopgap. “Automobiles are particularly susceptible to energy supply disruptions and oil price volatility,” said Cischke. “When we see the prices of fuel fluctuating, we see our sales fluctuating, which is why we’re so focused on improving the fuel efficiency of our vehicles around the world. We recognize that these advanced technologies are needed, but we also know that if they are not affordable, no one is going to be able to buy them.”

But when it comes to addressing the long term growth of personal transportation, Cischke admits that there is no good solution right now. “We’re really in a dilemma that some of these developing countries are now finally coming into an age where they can afford their own personal transportation and would like to have it,” she said. “So on the one hand, it’s hard for us to say to people that they aren’t entitled to the same mode of transportation as the rest of the world has had. On the other hand, if you look at the growth of automobiles in the next ten years, where are they all going to fit and how are we going to have room for them?”

Although Ford doesn’t have an answer to these questions, the company realizes that it needs to be part of finding a solution. “We are exploring models that are going to be different—such as car sharing or shared ownership,” said Cischke. “As far as getting into mass transit or something like that, we haven’t explored it and this is an area that we really don’t know yet just what our role will be.”

Cischke imagines that Ford’s role in developing alternative modes of transportation will lie in delivering information to people through connected devices and vehicles. “We find that people are more apt to use mass transit and other alternative transportation methods if they just knew about them,” she said. “One of the roles we can play is being that aid, whether it’s the in-vehicle communications devices we have or ones that we carry around in our hands, just getting that information to people will help.”

The post Ford Says U.S. Model of Personal Transportation Won't Work in Rest of World appeared first on HybridCars.com.

Un•i•corn | Noun | Definition: An elusive mythical beast. Mix equal parts extreme value, good looks, and great warranty. Add incredible fuel economy and a dash of luxury. Place in Alabama manufacturing facility to bake. Result: a vehicle that sends competitors running in search of their own elusive mythical beasts. (Serves 4 in relative comfort—5 in a pinch).

While it’s easy to get caught up in the excitement surrounding the next generation of hybrids and plug-in cars, the new 2011 Hyundai Elantra is a good reminder that the conventional combustion-engined car still has a lot of mileage left in it—especially when executed with such style, efficiency and value.

In the last couple of years, the market for cars the size of a Corolla or Civic has seen the number of quality competitors surge. A category once dominated by Toyota and Honda has been increasingly joined by the likes of the Chevrolet Cruze, Nissan Sentra and upcoming Ford Focus. In addition, smaller vehicles such as the Ford Fiesta are becoming so popular that they end up peeling sales away from their larger brethren. At this point there’s no denying that the small car market has become a cutthroat business.

So what’s a scrappy little Korean manufacturer to do in the face of such adversity? Up until now, Hyundai’s strategy has been to offer the best warranty in the industry combined with rock-bottom prices. Yet given the abundance of competition, that strategy alone eventually was bound to stop working.

Glimpsing this world of the future from afar, Hyundai sat their engineers and designers down and asked them to do one thing: create a small car that still offered the value and warranty customers had grown accustomed to, but provided much more content than any of their competitors could possibly provide. Instead of saying it couldn’t be done, those designers and engineers came back with the 2011 Hyundai Elantra—a strikingly good-looking vehicle that serves up 40 mpg on the highway and 29 in the city, starts at around $16,000, and for about $22,000, comes completely optioned out with a dizzying assortment of doodads, some of which are usually reserved for luxo-mobiles. What other vehicle in this segment, or a segment even close to it, offers heated rear leather seats?

Value and Options

Available in two models, the base Elantra GLS and the upgraded Elantra Limited, Hyundai chose to simplify the car buying experience by offering almost everything as standard or in the form of an add-on package—and the standard list of features that come on the Elantra is impressive. The GLS starts at $14,830, but that price won’t get you air conditioning. To get the air conditioning (and 16″ steel wheels) you’ll have to add the “popular equipment package” for about $1,200, bringing the price up to $16,080. Other upgrade packages fill out the top end of the GLS model and add items such as an upgraded sound system and nav.

The next step up, the Elantra Limited, adds in a standard six-speed automatic transmission, leather seats, cruise control, heated front and rear seats, and fog lights for $19,980. Even completely topped out, the Elantra Limited Premium can’t be had for more than about $22,000—which adds in a navigation system with a massive 7-inch LCD screen, back-up camera, 360-Watt audio system, and push button start with a proximity key transmitter.

When the entire package is added up, the 2011 Elantra Limited Premium is just about the best new car deal on the road today at $22,000.

How Does it Drive?

height="169" />

During approximately three hours of driving along the U.S.-Mexico border, I was able to test the Elantra Limited on a variety of terrain, from highway to stop and go to winding back country roads. At highway speeds, its brakes (disc in both the front and rear) were a bit grabby and the handling felt mushy when making lane changes, but those issues largely disappeared when traveling at lower speeds or taking it through twisties.

Elantra’s handling and acceleration felt a bit ho-hum, but then I have to remind myself that we’re talking about a $15-22K small car. In that light, and when compared to the competition, the 2011 Elantra scores very well, providing a ride that does not disappoint.

Styling

Aside from the great fuel economy and pricing, it is the Elantra’s exterior and interior styling that sets it apart. Following in the footsteps of the Hyundai Sonata’s “fluidic design,” the Elantra’s sheet metal is wrapped taut around underlying muscle. The exterior design cues continue to the interior where the components, even on the base $15,000 GLS, have the feel, fit and finish of a more expensive car. Even though the interior styling felt expensive, I was a bit put off by the adolescence of its design—it looked like a Transformer in the midst of a noisy, clanking transformation.

Overall Impressions

The 2011 Hyundai Elantra presents just about the best bang for your buck that you could imagine in an automobile. It has upscale features, incredible fuel economy, a great price, stunning looks, and a jaw-dropping warranty. Hyundai has made the automotive equivalent of a Unicorn.

Would I buy it myself? If I weren’t an early adopter in every sense of the word and I wasn’t in the market for an electric car, yes the Elantra would be a top choice on my list. I imagine a car like the 2011 Hyundai Elantra greatly appealing to commuters, deal-hunters, frugalists, and to parents looking for a first vehicle to buy their teenagers. In fact, the Elantra offers so much content for such a low price that it should be considered by consumers across the entire market regardless of what other vehicles are on their shopping list.

The post First Drive: With the 40 MPG 2011 Elantra, Hyundai is Making Unicorns appeared first on HybridCars.com.

]]> http://www.hybridcars.com/first-drive-40-mpg-2011-elantra-hyundai-making-unicorns-29001/feed/ 110 http://www.hybridcars.com/demand-increased-fuel-economy-drives-eaton-develop-new-automotive-technology-28637/ http://www.hybridcars.com/demand-increased-fuel-economy-drives-eaton-develop-new-automotive-technology-28637/#comments Mon, 27 Sep 2010 21:10:39 +0000 Nick Chambers http://127.0.0.1/wordpress12/?p=7502 As the global focus on improving fuel economy reaches a new level, the writing on the wall has become clear to automakers and those who supply them. Consumers are demanding more efficient and, in many cases, smaller vehicles and governments worldwide are putting new emphasis on reducing emissions… and Eaton Corporation, being one of the [...]

The post Demand For Increased Fuel Economy Drives Eaton to Develop New Automotive Technology appeared first on HybridCars.com.

]]>

As the global focus on improving fuel economy reaches a new level, the writing on the wall has become clear to automakers and those who supply them. Consumers are demanding more efficient and, in many cases, smaller vehicles and governments worldwide are putting new emphasis on reducing emissions… and Eaton Corporation, being one of the largest, oldest and most diverse automotive suppliers in the world, has noticed the shift. At an event last week outside of Detroit, Michigan, Eaton took the time showcase just how much the rapidly changing landscape of the automotive industry is shaping their current and future direction.

After spending an entire day at the Eaton proving grounds learning about, and, in some cases, trying out these new technologies, what is clear to me is that not only has Eaton recognized the scope of the changing landscape, they have grasped a fundamental aspect of it that appears to have shaped their overarching design philosophy. Namely, consumers and regulators want more efficient vehicles, but they don’t want to give up any of the increased safety and convenience features we’ve all come to rely on. Although this seems like a rather simple concept, squeezing more fuel economy (or electric range) out of cars that are loaded with airbags, ABS, traction control, horsepower, GPS, computers, et al., is going to become one of the defining challenges of all automakers in the next two decades.

So what technologies has Eaton been working on to meet these challenges?

Superchargers

Performance and Improved Fuel Economy in a Smaller, Less-Expensive Package

Eaton’s been in the supercharger business for some time now, having put their first production supercharger into the 1988 Ford Thunderbird Supercoupe. In the past, the turbocharging and supercharging arena has been devoted to making cars more powerful and better performing, but recently the trend has been to use the two similar, but different technologies to make smaller displacement engines maintain their fuel economy but perform as if they were larger displacement.

“Performance is our history, we know how to make horsepower,” said Dan Ouwenga, a senior engineer in the Eaton supercharger group. “But now our focus is on supercharging for fuel economy and emissions.” Although many manufacturers have chosen to go with turbo charging systems to attain increased performance from smaller, more fuel efficient engines, Eaton has pursued the supercharger because it is a less-expensive and less complicated avenue to the same results—and automakers are taking notice.

This year alone, Eaton has won four contracts to supply supercharging components, adding to their ever-increasing supercharger client list, including Nissan, Chery, Porsche, Volkswagen, and Audi. Nissan’s recently announced 1.2 liter, 3-cylinder Micra minicar sports the Eaton Twin Vortices Series (TVS) supercharger to make its itty-bitty engine perform like a larger 1.5 liter, 4-cylinder engine. Audi will also be using Eaton superchargers across an increasing swath of their lineup in order to downsize engines, increase fuel economy by about 20% and maintain the performance characteristics of the larger engines.

Improved Traction Control

Most of the Benefits of All-Wheel Drive in a Light Two Wheel Drive System

Of all the technologies I had a chance to test out at the Eaton drive event, the one that most impressed me was their new limited slip differential system known as “Ultra-posi.” This technology is so new, that Eaton doesn’t even have any buyers for it yet, but based on my experience, it won’t be long before it becomes a hot commodity. Why you ask? Simple, it provides the performance and benefits of an all-wheel drive system in a two-wheel drive package. It may sound strange, but when I drove it up a steep incline where one wheel was on ball bearings and the other on solid ground, the difference between the Ultra-posi being engaged and not engaged was the difference between being stuck on that slope and making it all the way to the top.

The Ultra-posi system can be used in either front wheel drive or rear-wheel drive vehicles and works by managing a nearly infinitely dynamic torque transition from the drive wheel that is slipping to the wheel that isn’t (or slipping less). What’s amazing about the system is that is is virtually the same weight as a traditional differential (less than 10′s of pounds), meaning that consumers who want the benefits of AWD could get it in a package that doesn’t compromise fuel economy. Also, according to Jeff Saxton, an Eaton senior product engineer, the addition of an Ultra-posi system to a vehicle would only cost an extra $250 or so, which, when compared to the thousands that an AWD system adds to vehicle, sounds like a steal. Contat also said that the system is production-ready at this point, and it will simply take a manufacturer that wants to add it as an option before it’s available to the mass market.

height="409" />

Better Valves and Valvetrain Components

New Manufacturing Methods and Unique Components Make it Easy For Manufacturers to Improve Fuel Economy

As engines get smaller, yet maintain the power density of a larger engine, the valves in them tend to take a greater beating. In these extreme engine environments, traditional valve materials can’t stand up to the punishment. Unfortunately, the valve materials—so called “exotics”—that do make the grade tend to be extremely pricey and can add significantly to the price of a vehicle.

“This drastic increase in power density has really pushed the capability of valves over time,” said Sandy Schaefer, Eaton valvetrain engineering manager. “Cylinder temperatures are up and the demands on the valves are up, but the ‘exotics’ are out of the price range for conventional vehicles.” One technology that doesn’t rely on using exotic alloys to overcome the issue involves hollowing out the center of the valve stems and then filling them with sodium. The sodium helps to transfer the excess heat of the small, power dense engines away from the valves, increasing engine efficiency and durability. Sodium infill valves are not a new concept, but in the past they have been extremely costly to build. To get around this problem, Eaton has engineered a completely new way of building them that reduces cost and makes them accessible to conventional vehicle pricing.

“We now have a high volume process for manufacturing sodium fill valves,” said Schaefer. “We drill the holes, fill them with sodium and seal them all in one step.” According to Schaefer, the one step process takes about the same time as a manufacturing a traditional valve and, therefore, can be fit into a conventional workflow.

In addition to the new valve manufacturing process, Eaton has designed new rocker arm for overhead camshaft valvetrains that is an off the shelf solution to deactivating unneeded cylinders when cars are traveling at steady speeds. Again, this kind of technology is not new, but Eaton’s new system can be incorporated into an engine without need for much reengineering. “Cylinder deactivation has a proven record in V8 pushrod engines, with millions of vehicles on the road saving fuel,” said Dave Genise, director of engineering for Eaton’s Valvetrain business. “We optimized the system in response to the growing consumer demand for overhead cam, multi-valve engines.” According to Genise, however, the new trend is in turning V6 engines into 4-cylinder engines at cruising speed—in alignment with overall industry trends towards downsizing.

height="358" />

Hybrid Car Fuel Vapor Management

Making Pressurized Fuel Tanks Safer and Minimizing Risk for Extra Pollution

Although Hybrids—both conventional ones like the Prius, and new ones like the Chevy Volt—have done wonders to drive up fuel economy, they have one problem that using less and less fuel and turning on the engine fewer times creates: fuel vapor builds up inside their pressurized tanks and risks being vented to the atmosphere without any pollution control.

“With the proliferation of hybrid vehicles, automakers are researching technologies to improve the performance of fuel systems while meeting safety and emissions regulations,” said Julie Tolley, general manager, Fuel Emissions and Powertrain Controls, Eaton’s Vehicle Group.  ”Hybrid-electric vehicles have significantly reduced the time the engine is on, which inhibits the ability to purge fuel vapor stored in the carbon canister. Eaton’s Hybrid Fuel Tank Isolation Valve enables fuel vapor containment within the tank until the engine is available and prevents canister saturation and hydrocarbon leakage. Our Fuel Tank Isolation Valve design allows for quick tank venting, minimizing refueling ‘splash-back’ caused by high fuel tank pressures.”

The Eaton Fuel Tank Isolation Valve is the first in the industry to use both solenoids and vapor management valves. The use of these technologies allows the valve to be simpler, smaller and smarter  than traditional venting systems.  ”Eaton uses an optimized solenoid design and integrates functions to reduce the number of parts required, resulting in a 33 percent weight savings and a significant reduction in size,” said Tolley.  ”The Fuel Tank Isolation Valve also has an available integrated pressure sensor that can be used for fuel system leak detection and purge control. Optional temperature sensing can be added for additional system monitoring and control. In addition, it provides flexible mounting and porting options, configurable electrical connections and variable pressure and flow settings that allow the system to be customized to meet the challenging demands of any auto manufacturer’s specific hybrid packaging requirements.”

The post Demand For Increased Fuel Economy Drives Eaton to Develop New Automotive Technology appeared first on HybridCars.com.

]]> http://www.hybridcars.com/demand-increased-fuel-economy-drives-eaton-develop-new-automotive-technology-28637/feed/ 0 http://www.hybridcars.com/next-generation-ethanol-years-behind-schedule-due-lack-funding-28356/ http://www.hybridcars.com/next-generation-ethanol-years-behind-schedule-due-lack-funding-28356/#comments Fri, 06 Aug 2010 23:00:13 +0000 Nick Chambers http://127.0.0.1/wordpress12/?p=7309 With the Environmental Protection Agency’s approval of the new Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS) mandating a steady increase in the amount of next generation ethanol produced in the U.S. year over year, you might think that the burgeoning industry would have an easy time of finding the money to build their new facilities—bringing them from pilot [...]

The post Next Generation Ethanol is Years Behind Schedule Due to a Lack of Funding appeared first on HybridCars.com.

]]>

With the Environmental Protection Agency’s approval of the new Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS) mandating a steady increase in the amount of next generation ethanol produced in the U.S. year over year, you might think that the burgeoning industry would have an easy time of finding the money to build their new facilities—bringing them from pilot scale experiments to full-on commercial production. By 2016, the RFS calls for the production of 16 billion gallons of this type of ethanol, up from almost nothing today.

This next generation of ethanol, known as cellulosic ethanol, is a far cry from the highly controversial (and environmentally questionable) corn ethanol that has become so pervasive. Cellulosic ethanol is made from non-food sources including waste agricultural products such as corn stover, wheat straw, and thinned forest residues, as well as purpose-planted non-food crops such as switchgrass and hybrid poplar. Given its much better environmental performance, lack of competition with food, and the new RFS mandates, cellulosic ethanol appeared to have an easy task ahead of it.

But recently the EPA has been reneging on its self-imposed RFS requirements. The mandate for cellulosic ethanol production in the U.S. was supposed to be at 100 million gallons this year, but the EPA reduced it to a mere 6.5 million. And last month the EPA said that its 2011 requirements for cellulosic ethanol would be reduced from 250 million gallons (as required in the RFS) to less than 17 million gallons. The EPA’s reasoning is that there just aren’t enough commercial facilities yet to support that level of production. But the industry is starting to cry foul.

A Stick in the Back of Oil Companies

Many of the major players in the cellulosic biofuels industry say that, yes, they are years behind schedule on building the facilities, but it’s not because they can’t make the product yet. They claim that, due to the EPA’s drastic reduction in targets, they are finding almost no one to finance the $500 million or so that each facility will take to build. By keeping to the commitments set under the RFS, and penalizing oil companies for not buying enough cellulosic ethanol (even if that ethanol doesn’t yet exist), the biofuel industry says the oil companies would be forced to finance the cellulosic ethanol plants and, as a result, the cellulosic ethanol would start flowing quickly.

“There are production facilities that are queued up to be built, but they’re getting hung up by the capital markets and the bankers,” said John McCarthy, CEO of the cellulosic ethanol startup Qteros, in an article over at MIT’s Technology Review. “Unless the EPA and the White House hold firm on the level of mandated demand, then you might as well not have a Renewable Fuels Standard.”

But the problem isn’t that easy to fix. A law passed by Congress requires that the EPA lower targets set in the RFS based on what supplies are actually available on the market. The cellulosic ethanol industry is trying to convince the powers that be that the law needs to be changed so that if the amount of cellulosic fuel that was mandated wasn’t available, the oil companies would pay a per-gallon penalty. In this way oil companies, and the banks that depend on them, would be forced to loan out some serious cash quickly.

“You need to put a stick in the oil companies’ backs to say, you need to start building something to meet your obligation under the Renewable Fuels Standard,” said Wes Bolsen, VP of government affairs at Coskata, another cellulosic ethanol startup, in the same Technology Review article.

But it’s unclear if cellulosic ethanol companies will have enough sway to force the change given that they are at a bit of a disadvantage when it comes to political power. Corn ethanol relies heavily on help from the King Corn lobby, and the oil industry is one of the largest lobbying organizations on the planet.

The post Next Generation Ethanol is Years Behind Schedule Due to a Lack of Funding appeared first on HybridCars.com.

]]> http://www.hybridcars.com/next-generation-ethanol-years-behind-schedule-due-lack-funding-28356/feed/ 0