nvw
08 Aug 2017
Germany, carmakers agree steps to cut diesel pollution [link]
marcher
07 Aug 2017
Re: ADvancing user acceptance of general pur... Advice aims:ADVICE aims for a reduction of exhaust and CO2 emissions on WLTP of 20% and a 25% increase in electric driving range for P-HEVs at a maximum premium cost of 5% for HEV (15% for P-HEV) with respect to the best in-class non-hybrid diesel vehicles. Particular attention is devoted to optimum driveability and drive performance, which are essential when purchasing a “premium class” vehicle and thus crucial to achieve the market penetration aimed at. These objectives will be accomplished by:* Architecture-level hybrid powertrain solutions, suited to be modularly applied to different segments to increase their volumes while reducing costs* Advanced predictive control strategies and model predictive control strategies, taking the entire vehicle into account (not only the hybrid part)* Novel optimised approaches in the aftertreatment system* Newly developed high-temperature electronics, enabling novel strategies and approaches for energy- and thermal-management* Multi-core processor architectures, enabling sophisticated control strategies and models processed on-board the vehiclesEU contribution to TRK: EUR 680 244,25What are TRK spending this money on? Never seen any mention of hybrids from TRK.
nvw
07 Aug 2017
ADvancing user acceptance of general purpose hybridized Vehicles by Improved Cost and Efficiency ADVICE aims at increasing the number of HEVs up to 10% of all vehicles registered in the mid-term range. This will be achieved by focusing on a market segment called “premium class”, which covers medium class, upper medium class and luxury vehicles up to SUVs. This segment is facing severe problems in reaching European environmental exhaust targets, when running on fossil fuel only, not the least due to the considerable vehicle weight. In ADVICE three physical demonstrator …[link] participating
Rolled Stone
04 Aug 2017
Re: German industry summit on diesels Rob - you're right, I'd forgotten. That certainly mitigates the sadness, thanks...But the rage remains - it's been obvious for the best part of a decade that the trk board has been lying. Giving them the benefit of the doubt (which I don't believe they deserve) it's been mainly to themselves rather than to shareholders, but the result is much the same.What I don't understand is why anyone believed the hype enough to spend hard cash on it?[emoji for dismay][is emoji singular or plural? One emojo, two emoji? The modern world...][Seriously, did *anyone* ever talk to someone who bought an Infinicut mower? A single product (I exclude my paperweight) over 20 years, and *no* information ever seems to have emerged about it.
basildonjohn
04 Aug 2017
Re: German industry summit on diesels SRSMI'm responding to your post because you say 'Volvo says 'no'' to V charge and KersThat is not my understanding of the situation.TRK's recent Annual Report says that there are three major externally funded programmes involving KERS of which one involves Volvo'The new EU Horizon 2020 funded programme with Valeo and Volvo Cars to demonstrate an electro-mechanically integrated KERS unit for passenger cars'It is not clear to me whether Volvo ever came to a final decision about mechanical KERS after a Volvo car with Kers was displayed at consecutive Annual Meetings. At the time the stumbling block seemed to be to find a manufacturer willing to invest in the production of Kers technology.The recent annual report says that a Tier 2 partner has now been found, and the initial aim seems to be to get production started for JCB. So if the electromechanical research for Volvo (and Valeo) is satisfactory, a manufacturer appears to be available this time.I don't think that Volvo have commented on V charge but assume that their thinking is inline with other major manufacturers - that the 48v electrical systems associated with battery storage will be adopted in most future cars and that these systems will be able to power electrically driven superchargers. (I have read that the current 12v systems are not sufficient to power electrical superchargers)For what it is worth I think that the decision to reject V charge may have come from the manufacturer who was monitoring the three-year research study at Bath. Ford were also involved with this research, and the rejection may have been agreed by both Ford and the supplying manufacturer. So Torotrak were left with a superior mechanical product when electrical superchargers were seen to be better long-term bet.I think that there may be some applications for V charge - for example with the Mazda rotary engine (that is no longer in production because of emission problems) or with piston-driven aircraft engines. But compared with the passenger car markets the volumes are very small. There are several signs that Torotrak believe that Kers has a future but we have yet to have clear endorsement from JCB. JCB's reputation is such that if and when it comes, Torotrak's prospects should improve considerably. And if simple flywheels are accepted as a form of hybrid in passenger cars and other vehicles, Torotrak/Flybrid would seem to have a long term future.But issues such as size of market share, and potential profitability are far from clear.Best wishes - BJ
srsm
04 Aug 2017
Re: German industry summit on diesels Not sure why we need to think about 2040.We'll all be using driverless cars by then. Probably a decade earlier. And the notion of owning a car may be all but dead. Think 2020. Will VCharge and KERs be useful in a passenger car. Volvo say no. Which is why the share price is where it is as they seemed to be the closest to saying yes. And isn't the question simpler. If a small engine needs to vary its rpm from 1K to 6K then VCharge will help. Correct? And would be one of the best ways to get mid engine performance from a small engine.But Volvo and TRK management appear to of the view that no ICE will ever need to operate over a large rpm range ever again OR there is no need for small to mid engine performance improvement because the electric stuff will do the performance bit. So VCharge is useless. I think that is the issue.
basildonjohn
04 Aug 2017
Re: German industry summit on diesels JSWYou are correct.My error, my apologies.Best wishesBJ
jswarde
03 Aug 2017
Re: German industry summit on diesels BJ,I presume you meant to say "to ask if this means that a combination of a petrol or diesel engine with M-KERS (Flybrid Kers) will be accepted as being a Hybrid under the proposed regulations post 2040.V-charge can hardly be a component of a hybrid.jsw
pseudosphere
03 Aug 2017
Re: German industry summit on diesels "Is this the saddest story on AIM? Would surely get my vote..."It's actually a FTSE Fledgling (having once been in the FTSE 350). I suspect that Torotrak may not have been entirely honest regarding V-Charge but why change the bad habits of a lifetime? Perhaps not worth discussing further, given the current share price. A trivial application of Torotrak and Rotrex IP, first proposed by DE in 2003 but with slower progress than a sloth on mogadon! V-Charge should have completed development by 2012, at the latest but you get the impression that the focus was elsewhere, probably mainly on bonuses and self-congratulation, rather than any inclination, or serious attempt to commercialise actual products.
Rolled Stone
02 Aug 2017
Re: German industry summit on diesels JC - you should join the trk board. None of them have a clue either, but at least you're honest enough to admit it, so that would definitely raise the average level of understanding.ivt's admittedly dead, vcharge is never going to win as long as it's crankshaft--driven, KERS has technologically superior competitors (yes, those pesky electron-only supercapacitors).Even now there might be a role for vcharge as an add-on for trackday specials - MX-5, GT86, Elise etc - but even on the Flybrid site they've missed the point (which is particularly weird given their motorsport background - trk infection?) Business 101 - find a customer who really wants something, then satisfy that need. The converse they seem to be following - offer what you have then hope someone will find a use for it - is a very familiar road to perdition. Same with KERS - is there a population of taxi drivers or white van driver/owners whose living depends on access to low-pollution congestion zones? If so, find them, offer a bullet-proof add-on real-life low pollution solution, with a 2-year payback, sort out the approval with the local council(s) and move forward. If such doesn't exist, stop wasting shareholders' money.Is this the saddest story on AIM? Would surely get my vote...
JC2005
02 Aug 2017
Re: German industry summit on diesels It's the time factor -When will fuel suppliers start to wind down production or importation?When will the price of fuel start to go up?Which car manufacturers will still plan to make petrol cars in 2039?What else will affect the planning process over the next 20 years?I've no idea.JC
srsm
02 Aug 2017
Re: German industry summit on diesels But isn't the more interesting point that 2040 is a generation away. The people who have to worry about what format their first car should be haven't even been born yet. It seems that there is no market whatsoever for small petrol engines that drive the wheels on at least some part of a typical journey and that therefore could probably benefit from VCharge. Which I think means the Mild + Parallel Hybrids. Although I read one definition of Full Hybrid as Series, Parallel + Electric modes. Yikes.I suspect Volvo were close to signing and then bottled it or perhaps genuinely don't need it (maybe using Series and Full Hybrids Plus Full Electric).So is there no future for Parallel Hybrids? And perhaps the real debate is if the small ICE operates over a large rpm range then VCharge could help. If the ICE operates over a modest rpm range (mostly as a generator) then VCharge won't help as much if at all.
basildonjohn
02 Aug 2017
Re: German industry summit on diesels ABAPerYour comments are exactly in line with those made by the Motoring Editor in last Saturday's Daily Mail (printed version).I have already sent a message to Torotrak via Simon Hudson (Tavistock Communications) to ask if this means that a combination of a petrol or diesel engine with V charge with be accepted as being a Hybrid under the proposed regulations post 2040.If so it seems to be to greatly enhance the future prospects for Flybrid. Indeed, if batteries are not required a 48v electrical system will not be necessary and there may be an opportunity for V charge in some vehicles after all.Best wishes - BJ
ABAPer
02 Aug 2017
Re: German industry summit on diesels It is interesting how out of context the UK governments announcement has been replayed again and again to sound like they are banning the sale of ALL fossil fuel vehicles by 2040. This is clearly NOT the case at all, what they have done is state that they intend to ban the sale of fossil fuel ONLY and more specifically petrol and diesel ONLY vehicles by 2040.The ban does NOT cover any hybrid electric vehicles (which in fact derive ALL their energy from fossil fuel unless they are plugin hybrids in any case). So all that is required to continue selling much the same vehicles is to add a mild hybrid starter generator into the mix...Yet the BBC publishes this nonsense:"France and the UK plan to ban sales of fossil-fuel vehicles from 2040."They have not said they will do anything of the sort....
Bodgit123
02 Aug 2017
German industry summit on diesels [link]
