Audi unveiled the eighth generation of its successful A6 full-size sedan; all engines feature Audi’s 48V mild-hybrid (MHEV) system (earlier post) as standard equipment. In Audi’s new mild-hybrid technology, a belt alternator starter (BAS) works together with a lithium-ion battery. The Audi A6 can coast between 55 and 160 km/h... Read more →

Audi has unveiled the second-generation A7 Sportback, which is the essence of Audi‘s new design language. The four-door coupé brings the show car design of the prologue studies (earlier post) to production. The drive system features a new mild-hybrid system (MHEV) as standard. At market introduction the coupé will be... Read more →

Mercedes-Benz is in the process of building out hubs for the production of electric vehicles and batteries around the globe. Markus Schäfer, Member of the Divisional Board of Mercedes-Benz Cars, Production and Supply Chain said that Mercedes-Benz will build its electric vehicles in six plants on three continents. By 2022,... Read more →

Continental is supplying the 48V belt-starter generator with integrated power electronics that is at the heart of the mild-hybrid (MHEV) system that is standard on Audi’s new A8. (Earlier post.) The system replaces a conventional starter pinion and is driven by a belt connected to the engine crankshaft. Together with... Read more →

FCA pulled the wraps off the new 2019 Ram 1500 at the Detroit Auto Show. Overall weight for the Ram 1500 has been reduced by 225 pounds (102 kg). As the truck’s backbone, the frame uses advanced materials and engineering to eliminate 100 pounds while increasing stiffness and durability for... Read more →

Federal-Mogul Powertrain has completed the acquisition of UK-based Controlled Power Technologies Ltd (CPT). The purchase provides a timely route for Federal-Mogul Powertrain to expand into the development and manufacture of powertrain technologies for electrification and hybridization that complement the company's existing capabilities. Headquartered in Laindon, Essex and with a further... Read more →

As part of the EU-funded THOMSON (Mild Hybrid cOst effective solutions for a fast Market penetratiON) project, Ricardo is pursuing research that aims to reduce the development cycle time of hybrid vehicles through the use of simulation for the simultaneous optimization of mechanical, thermal and electrical energy efficiency. The €11.7-million... Read more →

Mercedes-Benz is introducing a newly developed four-cylinder gasoline engine that delivers the performance of a high-capacity six-cylinder engine but with significantly reduced fuel consumption for the E‑Class Coupé and Cabriolet. The engine generates 220 kW/299 hp from a displacement of 1991 cc. In the E 350 Coupé if achieves fuel... Read more →

Mitsubishi Electric Corporation has begun mass-producing the auto industry’s first crankshaft-mounted integrated starter-generator (ISG) system for 48V hybrid vehicles, which will be mounted in Mercedes-Benz vehicles. The system will be on display during 45th Tokyo Motor Show 2017. Belt-driven system ISG systems use a belt to transfer power from the... Read more →

Audi has unveiled the new A7 Sportback four-door coupe. All engines used in the A7 Sportback come standard with a new mild hybrid system (MHEV) for greater comfort and efficiency. With the two V6 engines, this uses a 48-volt primary electrical system. A belt alternator starter (BAS) works together with... Read more →

Among its numerous debuts at Busworld Europe in Belgium, Daimler Buses took the wraps off the new Citaro hybrid urban bus. The hybrid powertrain is optionally available for a large number of model variants of the best-selling urban bus, even for the natural-gas-engined Citaro NGT. Together with the new electrohydraulic... Read more →

Bosch has introduced a new 48-volt battery for mild hybrids; similar to the Bosch e-axle, this 48-volt battery is standardized for easy integration into new vehicle models. Established manufacturers and start-ups alike can thus eliminate long and expensive development processes. Bosch intends for this pack—along with its earlier work on... Read more →

At the North American Commercial Vehicle Show (NACV) in Atlanta this week, Bosch is showcasing its portfolio of automated, connected and electrified technologies for commercial vehicles. At NACV, Bosch will debut its 15-inch freely programmable cluster, the largest digital cluster available for the commercial vehicle industry. The optically-bonded display enables... Read more →

BorgWarner, is showcasing its range of combustion, hybrid and electric technologies at the North American Commercial Vehicle (NACV) Show in Atlanta, Georgia. A forecast by Knibb, Gormezano and Partners (KGP), cited by BorgWarner, predicts the hybrid and electric commercial vehicle market will experience a 32.9% compound annual growth rate (CAGR),... Read more →

By 2025, the BMW Group will offer 25 electrified vehicle models—12 of them fully electric, said Harald Krüger, Chairman of the Board of Management of BMW AG, in a preview briefing before the opening of the Frankfurt Motor Show next week. BMW Group will deliver 100,000 electrified vehicles to customers... Read more →

Silatronix, a developer of unique organosilicon (OS) electrolytes for use in lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) (earlier post), recently was awarded a $1-million contract from the US Navy Office of Naval Research (ONR). Under the contract, Silatronix will apply OS electrolytes in LTO anode systems to improve their commercial viability by addressing... Read more →

Swiss R&D company nanoFlowcell Holdings (earlier post) is in discussions with Formula E Holdings on nanoFlowcell’s participation in the FIA Formula E Championship and intent to enter with a Formula E race car with nanoFlowcell 48VOLT flow-cell drive. The nanoFlowcell is a compact flow battery operated with two ionic liquid... Read more →

Leveraging its knowledge and advancements in 48V automotive technology, Continental is now introducing two 48V drive units to the electric bike market. The 48V Revolution is the first 48V-powered e-bike motor with a fully integrated stepless automatic transmission contained in an all-in-one drive unit. With its 2-in-1 drive and continuously... Read more →

MAHLE has developed a highly efficient 48-volt electric vehicle concept for urban mobility. “MEET” (MAHLE Efficient Electric Transport) will make its world debut at IAA Cars 2017 in Frankfurt/Germany in September. The modular design could be transferred to a wide range of platforms, MAHLE said. The technical focus of MEET... Read more →

Mercedes-Benz’ new S-Class will enter the market this month with an all-new engine range (diesel and gasoline variants of 6-cylinder in-line engines and a new V8 biturbo gasoline engine) with a series of new technologies for electrification of the powertrain (earlier post), including a 48V system (S 450 and S... Read more →

In a brand event in Barcelona, Audi unveiled its fourth-generation A8 luxury sedan. The new A8 features a new design language, an innovative touchscreen operating concept and a systematically electrified drive. The Audi A8 has also been developed for highly automated driving. From 2018, Audi will gradually be taking piloted... Read more →

Volvo Cars announced that every Volvo it launches from 2019 on will have an electric motor, marking the historic end of cars that only have an internal combustion engine (ICE) and placing electrification at the core of its future business. Volvo Cars will introduce a portfolio of electrified cars across... Read more →

The new Audi A8 will feature a fully active, electromechanical suspension system which drives each wheel individually and adapts to the prevailing road conditions. Each wheel has an electric motor which is powered by the A8’s 48-volt electrical system—used for the first time as the main electrical system. (The Audi... Read more →

Audi engineers have intensively further developed the new 3.0 TDI diesel engine for the European market. In the new Audi A5 and Q5 models, the V6 diesel outputs 210 kW (286 hp) as well as 620 N·m (457lb-ft) of torque (this engine version is not yet for sale. Since it... Read more →

Audi will begin introducing new mild-hybrid drive vehicles (MHEVs) this year. The next generation of luxury sedans, the Audi A8, will have 48V MHEV systems regardless of engine type. Audi offers the MHEV drives in two variants. For the four-cylinder engines they are based on the familiar 12-volt electrical system.... Read more →

A joint study by Controlled Power Technologies (CPT) and Austria’s Technische Universität Wien (TU Wien) into 48V diesel mild hybrid technology verified a 9% reduction of NOxin raw engine-out emissions, while retaining the fuel economy and CO2 benefits of diesel engine technology. The cost effectiveness of this approach is further... Read more →

At Volkswagen’s Wörthersee meeting this week, 13 apprentices from Volkswagen Wolfsburg and Sitech are presenting the first GTI that also features electric propulsion: the Golf GTI First Decade. A different team of 14 apprentices from Volkswagen Sachsen are also unveiling a Wörthersee show car, the Golf GTE Variant impulsE—a show... Read more →

Daimler has laid the foundation for its second battery factory. At its wholly-owned subsidiary ACCUMOTIVE in Kamenz, the second factory for lithium-ion batteries is being built with an investment of around €500 million (US$562 million). Daimler is investing an overall amount of around €1 billion () in a global production... Read more →

Automotive supplier Hyundai Mobis has developed the core technologies of a compact, integrated 48V mild hybrid system. Hyundai Mobis developed the “converter integrated 48V battery system” on its own and it is making the final preparations for mass-production scheduled for next year. Hyundai Mobis integrated the converter and the battery... Read more →

At the 38th International Vienna Motor Symposium this week, Continental is showcasing a 48-volt hybrid diesel vehicle which meets very stringent RDE (real driving emissions) limits on CO2 and NOx. The Continental Super-Clean Electrified Diesel combines electrification-based engine optimization and an electrically heated catalyst integrated in the exhaust aftertreatment system... Read more →

Mercedes-Benz chose Auto Shanghai 2017 as the venue for the world première of the new S-Class. Among the highlights is new efficient engine range and a series of new technologies for electrification of the powertrain. Several new engines are planned for the new S-Class: in-line six cylinder diesel and gasoline... Read more →

In a paper presented at SAE WCX 2017 this week in Detroit, engineers at Li-ion battery maker A123 Systems conclude that 48V battery packs with strong power (up to ~25 kW) and HEV-level energy capabilities (<200Wh for most scenarios) are needed to enable advanced mild hybird (MHEV) capabilities, with optimal... Read more →

With the EPA re-opening its Mid-Term Review of GHG standards for 2022-2025 for light-duty vehicles (earlier post), and with NHTSA yet to weigh in on its Mid-Term evaluation of fuel economy standards for the same period, a team from the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT) has published a report... Read more →

At the 2017 Geneva International Motor Show, Audi is presenting the Audi Q8 sport concept, a new performance-oriented take on the Q8 concept study introduced at the 2017 Detroit Motor Show. Equipped with a 3.0 TFSI six-cylinder engine featuring a 48V mild hybrid system (mHEV) and an electric compressor, the... Read more →

Volvo Cars will introduce a front-wheel drive (FWD), 3-cylinder engine variant of its Twin Engine plug-in hybrid electric vehicle system in 2018, followed by its first production battery-electric vehicles and a new 48V mild hybrid system in 2019, according to Mats Anderson, Senior Director of Electric Propulsion Systems. Anderson was... Read more →

UK-based Torotrak, a developer and supplier of emissions reduction and fuel efficiency technology for vehicles, is refocusing its strategy based on its understanding of how the priorities for many players in the European passenger car market—Torotrak’s customers—have profoundly changed in recent months. The Torotrak Group has three main product lines:... Read more →

Continental’s new 48V hybrid drives are making their first appearance in series production vehicles. (Earlier post.) Manufactured at Continental’s Nuremberg plant, these first series-production 48V hybrid drives will be applied in “Hybrid Assist” diesel variants of both the new Renault Scénic and Grand Scénic models from the end of this... Read more →

Honeywell’s Transportation Systems Forecast projects that turbocharged vehicles will acount for 48% of annual global sales by 2021, up 9 percentage points from 2016. This annual sales estimate, combining both passenger and commercial vehicles, would add more than 232 million turbocharged vehicles globally between 2017 and 2021—an increase of 35%... Read more →

The increasing stringency of global emissions standards, both current and projected, is driving up the cost for internal combustion engines to meet those standards, although numerous technology pathways exist. (Earlier post.) In a conversation with Green Car Congress at AutoMobility LA last week, Dr. Matthias Erb, Executive Vice President of... Read more →

A 2025 CO2 target of an average 70 g/km for new cars in the EU could be met with very little electrification and with an average payback period of less than 4 years, according to a new study by the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT). However, transitioning soon to... Read more →

A new white paper published by the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT), in collaboration with Eaton, Ricardo, JCI, BorgWarner, Honeywell, and the ITB Group, analyzes current turbocharged, downsized gasoline engine technology developments and trends. The assessment, which relies on data from publicly available sources and data and information from... Read more →

Following the launch of the new Mercedes-Benz four-cylinder OM 654 diesel engine in spring 2016 in the E 220d (earlier post), 2017 will see the addition of four more members to the all-new family of engines: six-cylinder in-line engines in both diesel (OM 656) and gasoline (M 256) versions; a... Read more →

Daimler subsidiary ACCUMOTIVE has begun construction of a second Li-ion battery factory at its site in Kamenz. With an investment of about €500 million (US$545 million), the site in Kamenz will be one of the biggest and most modern battery factories in Europe. The new production facility is planned to... Read more →

From the end of 2016, diesel variants of the Renault Scénic and Grand Scénic models will be equipped with Continental’s 48-volt hybrid drive—the first application of the 48V “Hybrid Assist” in production vehicles. The first production solution combines an efficient, water-cooled induction motor with an integrated inverter. The electric motor... Read more →

Speaking on the future of powertrains at the Aachen Colloquium, Klaus Fröhlich, Member of the Board of Management at BMW AG, Development, said that BMW will enter the fuel cell market early in the next decade, starting with very small production runs. Fröhlich noted that at least until 2025 costs... Read more →

Independent on-engine test results have verified the simulation predictions that a Torotrak V-Charge variable drive mechanical supercharger enables more ambitious levels of engine downsizing. Compared to a current 1.5L GTDI engine producing 240 N·m torque, a 1.0L GTDI engine of the same Ford EcoBoost family outperformed the 1.5L version when... Read more →

Controlled Power Technologies (CPT) is showcasing its range of 48V systems at the Aachen Colloquium this week: its Cobra electric compressor, SpeedStart belt-integrated starter-generator, SpeedTorq drivetrain motor-generator, and TIGERS exhaust energy recovery system. Two of the technologies feature in the ADEPT (advanced diesel-electric powertrain) demonstrator vehicle (in which program CPT... Read more →

As part of the 25th Aachen Colloquium this week in Germany, Schaeffler is unveiling the “Schaeffler High Performance 48 Volt” concept vehicle. The 48V mild hybrid, based on an Audi TT, features an electric rear axle equipped with a 20 kW motor complementing the internal combustion engine which drives the... Read more →

At the Paris Motor Show, Valeo introduced another 48V hybrid system, the 48V e4Sport. The new system, which can be applied across all vehicle segments, to both gasoline and diesel engine models, recovers a maximum amount of braking energy and stores it in a 48V battery for various uses, such... Read more →

The three-year ADEPT (advanced diesel-electric powertrain) project (earlier post) in the UK set the target of developing and validating a range of advanced mild hybrid technologies with 48V “intelligent electrification” utilizing an advanced lead carbon battery. These have been applied to a Ford Focus project demonstrator which, for the first... Read more →