Abstract
Next Generation Fuel System – NGFS, is a new technology that provides the ability to produce a plastic fuel tank meeting the future customer demands. It provides design freedom for new solutions, an increase in useable volume and offers a solution for plastic PZEV and LEV III fuel systems. Compared with the existing technologies on the market, this new manufacturing process (NGFS) offers the possibility of assembling the valves and other components inside the plastic fuel tank shell which trigger a significant reduction of the evaporative emisssions. Now that the first designs have already been launched in mass production, the paper will introduce our company’s vision to obtain a finished fuel tank produced in one production step, together with some of our breaktrough designs that will allow us to achieve this vision. The process that allowed the development of this technology included extensive CAE analysis, sampling and a large amount of testing. The use of 6 Sigma tools and our 6 Sigma focus sets the foundation for product capability. The presentation will cover: What is NGFS ?; Process information; Current status of NGFS; NGFS – functional advantages; Current vehicle applications; NGFS - Vision.
Keywords: Plastic fuel tanks, reduced emissions, integration of functions and components, LEV III, PZEV