Siemens VDO to Have Full Hybrid Demo Vehicle On the Road by End of 2006

6 July 2006

Siemens VDO Automotive is accelerating the development of its family of hybrid systems (earlier post), and plans to have a full hybrid system in an on-road demonstration vehicle as early as the end of 2006.

In September 2005, the company announced that it was developing a series of modular hybrid drives to serve micro-, mild- and full-hybrid applications, that it was then testing the micro- and mild-hybrid modules, and that it planned to have the full-hybrid drive with electrical outputs of up to 75 kW available by 2008.

We are speeding up the development at all system levels and are integrating more than 20 years of experience in numerous applications in electric and hybrid vehicles, such as the Ford Ranger and the Audi Duo.

—Dr. Klaus Egger, member of the Siemens VDO Automotive Group Executive Management and head of the Powertrain business

In order to give vehicle manufacturers the greatest flexibility in electric motor design options, Siemens VDO is optimizing electric motors applications that already are available, such as the asynchronous and synchronous motor, and is developing new motor concepts.

We are combining the economic and reliable technology of asynchronous with the more compact, efficient permanent magnet synchronous motor design.

—Klaus Egger

Siemens VDO intends to offer its customers all electric drive system components from a single supplier. The company is this also at work on high performance energy accumulators and transmissions to support the hybrid drives. Siemens VDO is already working on a full-electric system that transfers the drive to the wheels without using a conventional transmission.

Siemens VDO believes the North American and Asian target markets have the greatest growth potential for hybrid drives, where the full hybrid approach is dominant. Nine out of 10 hybrid vehicles currently are sold in the USA.

We are focusing our short-term development activities toward full hybrids and are developing specifically for different vehicle classes. We estimate the worldwide market potential for hybrids from 2012 forward to be approximately 1.5 million vehicles.

—Klaus Egger

For Europe, however, where hybrids find it more difficult to compete with diesels, Siemens VDO’s focus is mild hybrid solutions.

The gasoline engine still has a lot of development potential and the trend is toward ever-more efficient gasoline engines. Both the diesel and the gasoline engine are a long way from being exhausted. For this reason, we are giving the mild hybrid solutions greater market chances over the medium to long term with regard to the costs/benefits ratio for vehicle engines in Europe.

—Klaus Egger