Valeo showcases hybrid systems at the International Motor Show

At the 67th IAA International Motor Show for commercial vehicles in Hanover. Germany, Valeo is showcasing innovations designed to reduce fuel consumption and CO2 emissions in commercial vehicles. 

With one in every three cars worldwide fitted with a Valeo system, the Group says it is putting its expertise to use in commercial vehicles.

Valeo has developed a hybrid system combining low-voltage (less than 60 V) electric motors with traditional combustion engines. Since the technology can be adapted to all engine types and manufactured in series to deliver economies of scale, it offers the advantage of affordability, the company says.

Two hybrid systems are being presented at the IAA CV 2018:

 Valeo 48 V iBSG system – Starter-alternator with integrated electronics

The Valeo 48 V integrated Belt Starter Generator (iBSG) is available in two versions, 4 kW or 8 kW of continuous power.

It also recovers the vehicle’s kinetic energy during braking and deceleration and stores it as electrical energy in a 48 V battery to reuse in two different ways: 

• To boost the engine during acceleration
• To power various electrical components

Valeo’s iBSG system helps reduce fuel consumption by 3 percent to 5 percent in medium duty vehicles and 5 percent to 10 percent in light commercial vehicles, depending on the drive cycle. 

Valeo 48 V GMG system – Gearbox motor generator

Valeo has developed a new gearbox motor generator (GMG), rated at 48 V and 15 kW peak. This device reduces fuel consumption by 5 percent to 8 percent in medium duty vehicles and 10 percent to 20 percent in light commercial vehicles, depending on usage conditions and driving patterns. 

Reducing CO2 emissions through automated transmission systems

According to Valeo, Vehicle manufacturers are increasingly turning to semi-automatic transmission systems, which have a number of advantages over conventional gearboxes, most notably improved total cost of ownership (TCO) of fleets, with: 

• Fuel savings of 3 percent to 5 percent, as the choice of gear is constantly optimized in relation to the operating point, which also reduces CO2 emissions. 
• Easier, less costly driver recruitment, thanks to lower training requirements.

These semi-automatic transmission devices go hand in hand with engine downspeeding systems. All these new technologies call for innovative transmission systems. This is because the mechanics of downspeeding bring about increased torque, intense and sometimes noisy vibration, and stress on the gearbox. 

To address these problems, Valeo has developed its High Torque Low Stiffness (HTLS) clutch disk technology for flexibility, even at high torque. The device can improve dampening performance by 40 percent while delivering torque of up to 4,200 newton meters, thereby reducing engine speed by up to 200 RPM and generating fuel savings of between 1 percent and 2 percent, the company says.

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