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| Click to enlarge |  | | smart fortwo cdi diesel hybrid. Photo: © 2006, Michelin North America, Inc. | | | Click to enlarge |  | | Amberjac Projects plug-in Toyota Prius hybrid. Photo: © 2006, Michelin North America, Inc. | | | advertisement | | |
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This year's Michelin Challenge Bibendum, a worldwide symposium on sustainable road mobility, featured a number of current production hybrid vehicles, as well as demonstrations of new hybrid systems currently under development by different manufacturers. Some manufacturers also had current hybrid vehicles powered with alternative fuels for the internal combustion engine to further reduce emissions.
Both PSA Peugeot Citroen and DaimlerChrysler presented hybrid vehicles that combined diesel internal combustion engines with an electric motor.
Diesels are already the engine of choice for the majority of buyers in Europe, and diesels deliver fuel economy comparable to vehicles with hybrid powertrains that combine a gasoline internal combustion engine with an electric motor. PSA Peugeot Citroen chose to develop a hybrid that will improve on the fuel economy and CO2 emission levels of current diesel engines, according to Jean-Francois Huere of media and corporate communications for PSA Peugeot Citroen.
PSA Peugeot Citroen presented two vehicles that use the same diesel-electric hybrid powertrain: the Peugeot 301 HDi Hybrid and Citroen C4 HDi Hybrid. According to PSA Peugeot Citroen, the average fuel consumption for these two vehicles is 3.4 liters per 100 kilometers, which is the equivalent of just over 69 mpg with only 90 grams of CO2 emitted per kilometer.
The PSA Peugeot Citroen Hybrid HDi system includes a 1.6-liter HDi diesel engine, particulate filter system (DPFS), latest-generation Start & Stop system, an electric motor, inverter, high voltage battery pack and electronic controls. The system utilizes an electronically managed mechanical gearbox and is a full hybrid, meaning that the vehicles can operate at low speeds using only the electric motor.
PSA Peugeot Citroen also showed a Citroen C2 Start & Stop, which has a system that turns off the engine when the vehicle is stopped and automatically restarts the engine when the brake pedal is released. According to PSA Peugeot Citroen, the Start & Stop system reduces fuel consumption and CO2 emissions by 10 percent for city driving, 6 percent in a combined cycle and up to 15 percent in heavy traffic conditions. PSA Peugeot Citroen may sell the Hybrid HDi vehicles by 2010.
DaimlerChrysler took what is already a very fuel-efficient vehicle, the smart fourtwo cdi, and produced a 15 percent improvement in fuel-efficiency with the smart fourtwo cdi hybrid. Combining an 800 cc diesel engine with a 20 kW electric motor, the cdi hybrid uses only 2.9 liters of fuel to travel 100 kilometers (approx. 62 miles), the equivalent of 81 mpg.
The electric motor provides the additional benefit of providing more power for acceleration; the cdi hybrid will accelerate from zero to 100 kph (62 mph) in 17.8 seconds—two seconds quicker than the fourtwo cdi. The diesel engine automatically turns off when the vehicle comes to a stop, and since it is a full-hybrid system the cdi hybrid can operate using the electric motor only at low speeds.
GM entered the Saturn Vue Green Line, which is now on sale in the U.S., in Challenge Bibendum. The Vue Green Line has a hybrid system that GM says delivers a 20 percent improvement in fuel mileage by combining an electric motor/generator with a 2.4-liter 4-cylinder engine and a 4-speed automatic transmission. The electric motor provides additional power during acceleration and allows the engine to shut down when the vehicle is stopped. Also, fuel is cutoff during deceleration and electrical energy is captured with regenerative braking.
Ford entered two hybrids, the production Escape Hybrid and the prototype Fiesta-IFG. The Ford Escape is a full hybrid, while the Fiesta-IFG is a micro hybrid with a belt-driven integrated starter generator (SG) that allows a start-stop feature when the vehicle is stationary; it also included regenerative braking to capture braking energy in the batteries. Ford estimates a 15 percent improvement in fuel economy in city driving and reduced emissions.
The Ford Escape Hybrid can operate on electric power only and automatically switches between the pure electric and pure gasoline engine, or a combination of both for maximum efficiency and performance.
Toyota's popular Prius hybrid was entered by a number of different companies to showcase new technology or alternative fuels. Amberjac Projects entered a Prius plug-in hybrid (PHEV) in conjunction with technology partners EnergyCS. The PHEV adds a high-tech 9k Wh Saphion battery system with seven times the capacity of the original 1.3kWh Nickel-Metal Hydride battery, which provides 27 times the energy and increases the driving range in pure electric mode to as much as 35 miles, 35 times the standard range.
The battery system can be recharged in 9 hours from the electrical grid rather than just by the engine or regenerative braking with the original battery system. The advanced replacement battery management system (BMU) interfaces with the Toyota Hybrid System II (THSII) and a dash-mounted display shows battery status and throttle position.
Gaz de France and IFP entered a prototype natural-gas-powered hybrid based on the Toyota Prius, which was converted so that the gasoline engine runs on compressed natural gas (CNG). The resultant level of CO2 emissions is approximately half the average level of a gasoline-powered vehicle in the same category.
CFBP entered a Toyota Prius converted to run on liquid propane gas (LPG), which results in CO2 emissions that are 11.5 percent less than a gasoline-powered Prius.
The new-generation Honda Civic Hybrid also participated in Challenge Bibendum, powered by a new 1.3-liter 3-stage i-VTEC engine with the more efficient Integrated Motor Assist (IMS) system. The new Civic Hybrid is 20 percent more powerful than the previous version but with reduced size, improved fuel economy and low CO2 emissions of 108 grams per kilometer.
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