Bosch recently started production of a new, enhanced-efficiency generator series. An improved electrical configuration and optimized materials have enabled the manufacturer’s engineers to increase the efficiency of all variants to over 70 percent (according to VDA). The Efficiency Line (EL) generators consequently need less mechanical power to generate the energy for the vehicle’s electrical consumers. This reduces fuel requirements – and therefore CO2 emissions, too. The new Bosch generators were first introduced at MINI and in the Ford Transit.

The demand for electricity in cars has been rising constantly in recent years due to the increasing number of comfort and safety systems in vehicles. As a result, more and more attention is being devoted to the efficiency of all consumption components and the generator. With ultra-efficient diodes, which are available as an option, the efficiency of the new generators can even be improved by as much as 77 percent. “In real-time driving, Bosch EL generators can reduce fuel consumption by up to 2 percent,” says Dr. Ulrich Kirschner, president of the Bosch Starter Motors and Generators division.

Already in engine idle – which is equal to a generator speed of approximately 1,800 revolutions per minute – the EL generators produce about 10 percent more power. They are therefore an ideal complement to start-stop systems, as they ensure the fastest possible battery charging. As a consequence, the start-stop function can be used more frequently. “Both technologies are elements of Bosch’s Efficiency Plus Solutions. Together, they enable consumption savings of up to 10 percent,” Kirschner says.

An additional analogue or digital communications interface such as LIN (Local Interconnected Network) creates the conditions for intelligent generator regulation. This in turn allows most of the electricity to be generated in coasting mode, which in turn means a fuel saving of up to 2 percent. The EL series is available in various sizes and covers a performance range of 130 to 210 amperes (at 6,000 rpm). The generators are therefore ideal for the reliable energy supply of the most diverse vehicle electrical systems – from passenger cars to vans. Designed for especially quiet operation, they can also be used at high ambient temperatures of up to 125 °C.

Bosch is the only company worldwide to offer common-rail systems for the entire engine spectrum, from passenger-car and diesel commercial-vehicle engines to large diesel engines. Bosch developed the MCRS modular common-rail system for large diesel engines that have high engine speeds, up to 2.2 megawatts of power, and over 2.5 liters of displacement per cylinder. The MCRS now extends all the advantages of common-rail injection technology to diesel engines, which in the marine market are used in cargo ships, ferries, and yachts. With the system, Bosch can help engine manufacturers meet their goals of complying with future emission standards for ship drives. Moreover, the use of common-rail technology cuts fuel consumption in marine engines just as it does elsewhere, offering economic benefits for ship operators.

Modular design makes MCRS flexibly adaptable for large diesel engines
The Bosch MCRS is a modular common-rail system without the separate high-pressure accumulator that, in conventional systems, provides each injector with fuel. The fuel accumulator volume in the MCRS is integrated instead into the high-pressure pump and the injectors. The injectors themselves are connected to each other via short high-pressure lines. The system is designed so that the pressure at the nozzle is constant and independent of the engine speed. Since there is no separate high-pressure accumulator, the system can be flexibly adapted to different numbers of cylinders, thus making it appropriate for everything from four-cylinder in-line engines to 20-cylinder V engines. The only thing that must be changed is the number of injectors and pump elements. Each injector is equipped with a solenoid ball valve to allow up to three injections per combustion cycle. The CP9.1 high-pressure in-line piston pump, which is controlled electronically and lubricated with oil, generates pressures of up to 1800 bar for these injections. Depending on the level of performance needed, the CP9.1 can be equipped with anywhere from two to five pump elements. To guarantee reliable operation and a long service life even when fuel quality is inferior, the high-pressure pumps and injectors have an especially solid construction. Appropriate engine control units for the MCRS include the Bosch EDC17 series.

Meeting future emission targets
In improving the MCRS common-rail platform to offer injection pressures of up to 2200 bar, Bosch is making it possible to comply with both current and future ship-engine emission standards – such as EPA/EU Tier 4 as of 2015 and IMO Tier III as of 2016. The MCRS will be available starting in 2014.

Bosch is publicly presenting its new e-Bike system for the first time at the “Eurobike” bicycle trade show from September 1st to 4th 2010. Numerous bicycle manufacturers will have e-Bikes fitted with the drive system to test at Eurobike and will begin delivery to shops in spring of 2011. The Bosch e-Bike system offers bicycle manufacturers a great deal of design freedom, which is reflected in the variety of models seen. Whether mountain, trekking or touring bikes, the widest-range of bicycle types are to be seen at the trade show and can be experienced on the test track of the show. The professional servicing of the retail trade will be taken over by Magura – a well known constant in the bicycle trade for decades – as the service partner of Bosch e-Bike Systems. Bosch sees partnerships with established market players as a way to understand the market and better service them. The agreement with Magura is already the second such partnership with known names from the bicycle field. The first such agreement was agreed upon with Cannondale at the beginning of 2009, so as to introduce the requirements of bicycle manufacturers in the development of the E-Bike drive system.
Bosch is presenting its e-Bike drive system on stand A6-305 at “Eurobike” in Friedrichshafen.

Modular Bosch high performance drive with refined power outlay.
The Bosch e-Bike system is made up of closely calibrated modular components. The Drive Unit, the Battery Pack including charger and the handlebar HMI (Human-Machine-Interface) control unit present a lighter weight with a powerful and robust high performance drive. Furthermore, it offers greater drive safety due to the lower-laying vehicle center of gravity. The compact Li-Ion battery pack, that can be fully charged in only 2 ½ hours (288 Wh) or 50% charged after only one hour, offers scope for individual creativity and is therefore available in different build configurations for frame or carrier fitting. Built with three sensors that measure speed, torque and pedaling cadence, the system deploys the instantaneously requested drive power in an efficient and comfortable way; nonetheless remaining unobtrusive so as to maintain the typical bicycle characteristics.

Drive characteristics that correspond to the type of bicycle.
The drive characteristics of the Bosch e-Bike system is programmable, allowing to set it up for a specific type of bicycle, according to one of four levels – named Eco, Tour, Sport and Speed. For example, the drive will therefore deliver its power in a more dynamic way on a sporty mountain bike than on a trekking bike set out for greater range. It is the bicycle manufacturer who decides which drive characteristics the e-Bike will have. In case they enable more than one of the four levels, the e-Biker will be able to select the appropriate level from the control unit of the drive system according to the situation.

The strategy of Bosch in the e-Bike market is based upon technological competence.
The proximity of electric bicycles to the social trends of energy-saving, E-mobility and health consciousness is of key importance to the world leading autotive supplier when taking the plunge into the sale of e-Bike drives. Bosch is investing in different fields relating to these long-term trends. E-Bike drives are an important part for the sustainable mobility concepts that point out the way for the future.
Bosch can furthermore bring its long-term experience in the construction of compact and efficient electrical drives, as well as powerful batteries to e-Bikes. This will allow the production of especially high-performance and variably adaptable e-Bike drive systems when combined with robust drive electronics and sensitive sensor technology

(Bosch)

With its New Baseline (NBL) generator family, Bosch has a robust, compact, and especially economical generator model in its product portfolio. The generator is designed for cars with low electricity requirements, and is therefore ideal for reasonably priced small cars. By leveraging Bosch’s international production alliance, the generators can be produced directly in the respective automaker’s country. Series production will begin in mid-2010 in Changsha, China, for Geely, First Automotive Works (FAW), and Volkswagen. Production has been underway in Brazil and India since 2008 and 2009 respectively.

· Robust and especially economical generators for small cars

· Compact design reduces installation space requirements

· Series start in China in mid-2010

“The New Baseline generators are robust, compact, and cost-effective, and therefore perfect for the Chinese market,” says Tirso Boada, regional president at Bosch Starter Motors and Generators in China. Designed for vehicles with relatively few electricity consumers, the three available sizes of the New Baseline generator cover the power range from 1.0 to 1.8 kilowatts. At 6,000 revolutions per minute, this is equal to a rated current of 70 to 125 amperes. Efficiency of up to 66 percent (according to VDA) helps to keep the vehicle’s fuel consumption low – and therefore CO2 emissions as well.

Further benefits are provided by the New Baseline generators’ extremely compact structure. Thanks to their small length (without pulley) of 117.5 to 120.5 millimetres, they are especially ideal for installation in engine compartments where space is at a premium. And even at high temperatures, their performance falls only marginally. The generators are equipped with high-performance voltage regulators, which can be easily integrated with axial, radial, or tangential plug-in connectors into the most diverse vehicle models. For vehicles that need more electricity, Bosch offers its Efficiency Line generators.

Hybrid drives already power two percent of vehicles newly registered worldwide; this figure is set to rise to around seven percent in the next ten years. With hybrid vehicles becoming ever more popular automobile workshops are increasingly faced with this drive technology. This poses new challenges for the engineers in terms of their specialist knowledge and skills. The hybrid vehicle has a twin drive; this makes troubleshooting more complex and means that specialist knowledge is required to handle the high electrical voltages and currents safely. The new technology is a perfect opportunity for the automobile workshops to get ahead of the game and establish themselves as experts in the field. Bosch is supporting the workshops in their efforts with diagnostics systems, the latest technical information and practical training courses.

· Increasing number of hybrid vehicles

· Getting to grips with new technology requires specialist knowledge

· Workshops are familiarizing themselves using Bosch diagnostics systems and training courses

Bosch played a pioneering role in developing new components for hybrid technology and currently supplies original equipment for the hybrid vehicle technology. Bosch has even taken the needs of the workshops into consideration. The result was a special Bosch handheld FSA 050 tester that can be used on high-voltage systems and communicates wirelessly with the basic series 7 FSA vehicle system analysis devices. The tester can also be used as a stand-alone device. The new FSA 050 handheld tester is due to be unveiled in September this year at the Automechika exhibition in Frankfurt, Germany.

The Bosch workshop software Esitronic already contains the technical data and diagnostics values for the latest hybrid vehicles. A full control unit diagnosis can be carried out for the Toyota Prius II, and from July 2010 the Prius I model. This will also include the new Toyota Prius III, the Honda Civic 2 and the Honda Insight from October 2010. More new models will be added when the software is updated every quarter, for example the VW Touareg in April 2011.

To enable the workshops to keep up with the latest requirements of a modern hybrid vehicle, Bosch is providing a new training course ‘Safety procedures for specialist work on HV (High Voltage) vehicles’. The course includes practical and theoretical modules where experienced trainers can pass on their expertise in dealing with the new high-voltage technology, as well as principles, hybrid components, drive concepts and control electronics. The workshops can also direct any questions relating to hybrid vehicle technology to the Bosch technical hotline. This will ensure that the workshop is prepared for the future market when it comes to servicing and repairing hybrid vehicles.

Protean Electric courts partners for wheel motor applications
24-Jun-2010 20:09 GMT

Compact design is evident in this cutaway of Protean Electric’s electric wheel motor. Note thin power-electronics modules (marked with green/grey circles) arrayed around the outside surface of the rotor.

More than a century after Ferdinand Porsche used them on his first car, and after decades of their use in giant off-road vehicles, are electric wheel motors finally ready for light-duty applications? A small U.K.-based engineering company with some unique technology and plenty of dedication is betting they are.

Protean Electric has been developing electric motor technologies since the 1960s and built its first wheel motor for automotive use in 2003. In recent years the company has fitted the innovative pancake-shaped motors to various concepts and prototypes, including a Volvo C30-based series hybrid, a Ford F-150 EV with an individual motor at each wheel, and a Mini EV, among others.

The company is seeking customers who would license its design for production, and CEO Craig Knight believes the U.S. market is the ideal place to find them.

“We’re appealing to the U.S.’s love of larger vehicles—SUVs, minivans, pickups—for which we think wheel motors are the perfect fit for vehicle electrification to improve efficiency,” said Knight. “With four wheel motors, we can deliver more torque directly to the drive wheels.”

He said that by employing the Protean motors, an OEM or Tier 1 can create a simpler, lower cost drivetrain and improve vehicle control and overall efficiencies by eliminating the losses typical in mechanical power transfer. Also, it can increase output by increasing wheel diameter.

He said wheel motors are more than 90% efficient in terms of converting energy into vehicle propulsion, enabled in large part by their capability to regenerate most of the vehicle’s braking energy under deceleration.

Better wheel control, grip

The simplest wheel motors integrate an e-motor into the wheel hub, creating a stator-rotor arrangement to generate torque when power is applied to the stationary coils. More sophisticated designs (including Protean’s) are liquid-cooled, and some even include suspension components. Michelin’s Active Wheel, Siemens’ eCorner, and developments from Canada’s M4 Technologies and General Motors are recent examples of interest in the technology.

In 2003, AEI drove a prototype hybrid-electric Chevrolet S-10 equipped with two 25 kW (33 hp) wheel motors sourced from Italy-based motor specialist Lucchi R. Elettromeccanica. The motors fit neatly within the truck’s 18-in-diameter (457-mm) road wheels. The rear-drive system was engineered by GM and partner Quantum Technologies with dedicated power control and coolant solutions.

In the S-10, the wheel motors provided nearly 60% more torque to the drive wheels than was available from the truck’s combustion engine and gave it prodigious acceleration, traction, and grip—wheelspin was eliminated—when tested on a drag strip and slalom course. Reporters who sampled the e-drive S-10 were impressed by its performance. Development did not proceed, however, nixing the logical next step: electric all-wheel drive.

Knight noted similar potential benefits of Protean Electric’s wheel motors, plus the capability to precisely control the amount of torque to each wheel, aiding traction in varying road-surface conditions and providing greater maneuverability.

Submotor architecture is key IP

Protean’s three-phase permanent-magnet motors are scaled for vehicle curb weights of 5000-6000 lb (2268-2722 kg). They are rated at 84 kW (113 hp) peak power for 20 s, and 54 kW (72 hp) continuous, depending on battery power.

According to Knight, the company’s key intellectual property is in the submotor architecture and its integration with the microinverter technology. Each motor features distributed architecture, incorporating one inverter and eight power-electronics modules within the motor, rather than residing in a separate unit. Each module handles one-eighth of the input power.

The wheel motors are designed to operate using open-source control software and integrated with the vehicle via CAN. Profiles of the copper-wire windings are proprietary, and Protean has developed a robotic winding process. “The entire unit is designed for manufacturability,” Knight noted.

The motor’s stator and power electronics are liquid-cooled. Knight noted that the company’s 72 engineers (out of a total staff of 86) have put much of their development focus on increasing cooling efficiency.

The design integrates the brake rotor on the back side of the electric motor’s cast-aluminum rotor. It fits an 18-in wheel and is intended to use the OEM’s existing bearing set.

A disadvantage of wheel hub motors that has yet to be fully solved is added unsprung weight, which negatively affects the vehicle’s handling and steering. GM’s wheel hub motors added 33 lb (15 kg) to each 18-in wheel, which GM engineers said could be offset by tweaking suspension damping and spring rates. Knight acknowledges that unsprung weight is a potential issue that is being addressed through design.

The integration of electric drive motors and various vehicle components into a vehicle’s wheels has the potential to enable fresh, unique new vehicle designs by freeing up the space traditionally occupied by the powertrain and related accessories. They are also one of the major components of a true “by wire” electrified propulsion system.

The F-150 fitted with Protean’s wheel motors has racked up thousands of test miles and recently received upgrades, including an integrated braking system, at the company’s Romulus, MI, facility. Knight said he welcomes OEMs or suppliers to collaborate with Protean on an SUV or minivan to demonstrate the technology’s performance potential.

Lindsay Brooke

Powertrains – Automotive Engineering International Online