Abstract
The availability of an affordable hybrid vehicle that significantly reduces fuel consumption and tailpipe emissions is of global importance. Especially in the emerging markets, the expected growth of vehicle ownership is such that environmentally friendly solutions are the only way forward, and most importantly the majority of the people should be able to afford it. The mechanical hybrid proposed in this paper uses neither power-electronics nor additional batteries for energy storage, and as such keeps the on-cost of the hybrid system at a minimum. Unlike existing hybrids, the MecHybrid1 technology enables much shorter payback times than electrical hybrids. Nevertheless, the mechanical solution poses challenges on the Energy Management, hydraulic design and control strategies and calls for fundamentally new approaches [2] in comparison with existing hybrid control strategies. The first part of the paper discusses the project outline and targets, the technological solution and both the hydraulical and the mechanical design. In the second part, the energy management and control strategies are explained, aiming at optimal fuel consumption combined with good driveability. Finally, the third part presents fuel consumption simulations on various drive cycles.
KEYWORDS – CVT, flywheel, hybrids, energy management, efficiency