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Reduction of CO2 emission is a mandatory objective for every actor in the field of automotive transport, and electric vehicles (EV's) are increasingly becoming an effective option for both OEMs and customers. However, components development and vehicle integration for EV's present new challenges that must be faced and new issues which need to be solved. In particular electric motor control systems are developed to achieve the same comfort conditions as in conventional vehicles. IDIADA developed a prototype electric commercial vehicle in which both the motor and driveline were integrated. The electric motor output shaft delivers the torque to the transmission under a certain level of load variation and with torque irregularities that must be smoothed out in the transmission components. This paper studies the results of the testing of the prototype vehicle carried out to improve the overall NVH behavior of the powertrain.

This work is based on the development of heavy-duty diesel engines for alternative fuel use. Three diesel engines for commercial vehicle applications were studied: a 13L diesel engine was converted to a dedicated lean-burn NG engine and two diesel engines (14 and 4.25L) were converted to a dual-fuel operation with diesel-NG and diesel-LPG respectively. The dedicated NG engine conversion was achieved by means of some relevant modifications such as the reduction of the compression ratio, design of a gas injection system, design of a spark plug adapter, and implementation of a complete EMS. In relation to dual-fuel cases, some minor modifications were made to the diesel baseline engines such as the installation of the gas train components and the implementation of a gas ECU for the management of the diesel and gas injection using some CAN bus J1939 signals.

Over the past decade, there have been many efforts to generate engine sound inside the cabin either in reducing way or in enhancing way. To reduce the engine noise, the passive way, such as sound absorption or sound insulation, was widely used but it has a limitation on its reduction performance. In recent days, with the development of signal processing technology, ANC (Active Noise Control) is been used to reduce the engine noise inside the cabin. On the other hand, technologies such as ASD (Active Sound Design) and ESG (Engine Sound Generator) have been used to generate the engine sound inside the vehicle. In the last ISNVH, Hyundai Motor Company newly introduced ESEV (Engine Sound by Engine Vibration) technology. This paper describes the ESEV Plus Minus that uses engine vibration to not only enhance the certain engine order components but reduce the other components at the same time. Consequently, this technology would produce a much more diverse engine sound.

On the 20th December 2018 DENATRAN (Departamento Nacional de Trânsito) published a new resolution that establishes future vehicle performance requirements in pole side Impacts in Brazil (Resolution 751/18). This new resolution gives the option to comply with Annex II (equivalent to UN R.135) or Annex III (equivalent to FMVSS 214). Although this will be applicable to new vehicle registrations from the 1st January 2030, it is possible to anticipate its total or partial adoption. This paper will focus on the effect of implementing UN R.135 and, specifically, on the differences found by using the WorldSID (World Side Impact Dummy) 50th Percentile Dummy instead of its predecessor (EuroSID-II) for this test. The above-mentioned side impact test will consist of a side impact test at 32 km/h against a rigid pole. The tested vehicle will be rotated 75° from the direction of impact and the only vehicle occupant will be a WorldSID dummy in the driver position.

At present, the assembling order of COWL is decided according to the design of the Vehicle’s A pillar outer. Therefore when the factory layout changes, extensive costs are needed according to the changes of the A pillar outer design. Thus, this study was carried out to develop a new COWL structure that is able to determine the layout of the factory without changing the design of the A pillar outer. In addition, by adjusting the DFSS tool to COWL, the direction of the material and thickness of COWL was studied to optimize the dynamic stiffness of the body structure and pedestrian protection performance. Based on this study, the optimization of the OPEN COWL is presented.

Transient control for EV/HEV mode change takes an important role in the system of the parallel HEV, which consists of internal combustion engine (ICE), electric motor (EM), integrated starter & generator (ISG), battery, automatic transmission and clutch (that replaces the torque converter), not only ICE/EM control but also clutch engagement control are the key of it. To improve the mode change performance, this study proposes clutch slip control methods. Method 1. focuses on the open loop clutch pressure control so as to adjust target clutch transfer torque. The main idea of Method 2. is to control the clutch pressure in order to achieve the desired speed difference(Method 2-1) from each side of clutch when motor speed is faster than engine idle speed and keep target engine speed(Method 2-2) when motor speed is slower than engine idle speed. This paper defines control sequence which is scheduling the behavior of powertrain components as well.

The purpose of this paper is to identify and reduce the suspension rattle noise. First, the characteristics of the rattle noise are analyzed experimentally in the time and frequency domain. It was found that the rattle noise and vibration at shock absorber mounting point are strongly correlated. Second, the sensitivity analysis of design parameters is performed using a half car model in ADAMS. The result of the simulation model is verified by comparison with test. Finally, the influence of design parameters for the rattle noise is investigated. The study shows that the shock absorber mounting bushing is the most sensitive parameter to affect the suspension rattle noise. This paper shows how the suspension rattle noise can be improved.

Durability is one of the most important goals in the current state-of the-art design of new vehicles. Usually the durability performance is validated by the vehicle manufacturers driving directly the prototypes in field or through endurance schedules on proving ground fatigue surfaces. The validation procedure driving directly in field is very expensive and time-consuming. The reliability and accuracy of validations in proving ground surfaces are many times unknown, mainly because such endurance schedules are not fitted to the market (driving conditions and type of roads) and historically are based on empirical procedures. This paper discusses how IDIADA has developed a methodology to design accelerated durability schedules which obtain less expensive and fast durability validation procedures, as well as being reliable and fitted to the market and durability targets.

A low pressure exhaust gas recirculation system (LP EGR system) enables the expansion of the EGR operating area than that of the widely used high pressure EGR system. As a result, fuel consumption and emissions can be improved. In order to meet the EU 5 emissions regulations, an exhaust throttle LP EGR system was used. The EU5 vehicles developed using this system have greater merits than other vehicles. However, because the exhaust throttle LP EGR valve is installed adjacent to the after-treatment system, the material of the LP EGR valve itself must be stainless steel in order to withstand the thermal stress, consequently, the cost is increased. Therefore, in order to achieve cost rationalization for EU6 vehicles, an intake throttle LP EGR system is developed and applied to replace the exhaust throttle LP EGR system. In order to apply the intake throttle LP EGR system, the EGR valve is installed in front of the turbo charger compressor.

Studies in the EU and the USA found higher deformation and occupant injuries in frontal crashes when the vehicle was loaded outboard (frontal crashes with a small overlap). Due to that, in 2012 the IIHS began to evaluate the small overlap front crashworthiness in order to solve this problem.A set of small overlap tests were carried out at IDIADA’s (Institute of Applied Automotive Research ) passive safety laboratory and the importance of identifying the forces applied in each structural element involved in small overlap crash were determined. One of the most important structural elements in the small overlap test is the wheel. Its interaction in a small overlap crash can modify the vehicle interaction at the crash, which at the laboratory the interaction is with a barrier. That interaction has a big influence at the vehicle development and design strategy.

Nowadays vehicle quality is rated for noise and vibration and the interior sound levels have become a major target of automotive companies. Strides have been made in reducing power train, tire and external wind noise over the years. However, HVAC and blower fan flow-induced noise reaches the interior cabin without any sound isolation and can strongly impact customer comfort. In the early stage of vehicle design, it is experimentally difficult to get an estimate of the flow pattern and sound levels. The goal of this study is to develop and validate a numerical noise prediction tool for complete HVAC systems noise, defined as the arrangement of sub-systems such as air intake duct, thermal mixing unit, blower, ducts and outlet vents. This tool can then be used during the development of vehicles to evaluate and optimize the aeroacoustics performances of the system without additional or belated experiments.

Ethanol fuel is a sustainable energy resource that is intended to provide a more environmentally and economically friendly alternative to petroleum-based fuels, such as gasoline. Recent interest in ethanol has increased due to the fact that it can be combined with gasoline at different percentages: from low percentages with not specially modified gasoline vehicles up to 85% of ethanol, and even up to 100%, in flexible-fuel vehicles. There is much debate and a considerable amount of concern among automakers and consumers regarding the environmental friendliness of ethanol, mainly due to the lack of complete knowledge about the effects of its use on direct pollutants from exhaust vehicle emissions such as CO, CO₂, NOx, HCs and particulates and on the fuel consumption of the vehicle.

A comprehensive investigation was carried out in order to develop the idle sound quality for diesel V6 engine when the engine development process is applied to power-train system, which included new 8-speed automatic transmission for breaking down the noise contribution between the mechanical excitation and the combustion excitation. First of all, the improvement of dynamic characteristic can be achieved during the early stages of the engine development process using experimental modal analysis (EMA) & the robust design of each engine functional system. In addition, the engine structural attenuation (SA) is enhanced such that the radiated combustion noise of the engine can be maintained at a target level even with an increased combustion excitation. It was found that the engine system has better parts and worse parts in frequency range throughout the SA analysis. It is important that weak points in the system should be optimized.

Recent interest in ethanol has increased due to the promotion of its use by the authorities and because it can be combined with gasoline at different percentages: low percentages with not specially modified gasoline vehicles and up to 85% of ethanol (even up to 100%), in flexifuel vehicles. The question has arisen of whether the increase in volatility for ethanol/gasoline blends and the presence of ethanol (small molecule compared with the majority of hydrocarbons in gasoline) in the fuel have a significant influence on evaporative emissions, also taking into account permeation through materials used in the fuel system. The long-term effect on emissions of the addition of ethanol also needs to be evaluated. This paper assesses the impact of adding ethanol to gasoline on the evaporative emissions of vehicles by differentiating the sources (complete car, canister and fuel tank) and by differentiating evaporation and permeation effects.

A recent Spanish survey reveals that opposite to vehicle and pedestrian accidents, motorcycle fatalities have increased in the last 7 years. One third of these correspond to collisions of motorcyclists against roadside guardrails. In response to this serious safety demand, manufacturers and governments in Spain and France have started their own initiatives in both, launching smart road restraint systems safer for vulnerable users, and developing new protocols and regulations to evaluate the behavior of these systems against motorcyclist collisions. In order to provide support to roadside guardrails manufacturers to fulfill these regulations and develop friendly systems for motorcyclist, Applus IDIADA is carrying out a project to develop a robust methodology to create CAE simulation models that represent these impacts.

Press hardenable ultra high strength steel (UHSS) is commonly used for automotive components to meet crash requirements with minimal mass addition to the vehicle. Press hardenable steel (PHS) is capable of forming complex geometries with deep sections since the forming takes place at elevated temperatures up to 900 degrees Celsius (in the Austenitic phase). This forming process is known as hot-stamping. The most commonly used PHS grade is often referred to as PHS1500. After hot-stamping, it is typically required to have a yield strength greater than 950 MPa and a tensile strength greater than 1300 MPa. Most automotive design and material engineers are familiar with PHS, the hot-stamping process, and their capabilities. What is less known is the capability of 3rd Generation advanced high strength steels (AHSS) which are cold stamped, also capable of forming complex geometry, and are now in the process of, or have recently completed, qualification at most automotive manufacturers.

Current regulations on exhaust automotive emissions focus on certain pollutants to control vehicle emissions. Hydrocarbons, the main components of gasoline, are one of these regulated compounds; however, the regulation only refers to the sum of total hydrocarbons (THC) without taking into account the individual components. Vehicles also emit a large variety of chemical besides hydrocarbons that can become much more harmful, depending on their environmental toxicity and the amounts that are emitted to the atmosphere. In recent years, due to the emergence of alternative fuels such as bioethanol and biodiesel, the interest in these not so well characterized compounds has grown. For example, when ethanol is used in gasoline blends as a fuel for internal-combustion engine vehicles, the study of other compounds such as alcohols, aldehydes and ketones, in addition to hydrocarbons, acquires more importance.

In a near future, platooning could become one of the most accessible strategies to help reduce the consumption of fuel and the emissions of toxic gases in the atmosphere, while also adding safety to the users and generating a better traffic flow. Nowadays, the auto industry and the governments are facing enormous challenges to reduce the amount of pollution in the atmosphere, to decrease the dependency on fossil fuels to generate energy and to increase safety on the highways. Several approaches are made, such as bio-fuels, hybrid and electric vehicles, engine downsizing and new modes of transportation that are more versatile and environmentally friendly. The downside is that most of this efforts are costly and require time and expense to be put to work. Platooning is an alternative option to minimize the impact to the environment profiting from the aerodynamic effects that occur naturally around a moving vehicle.

South East Asia is one of the regions with highest traffic-related fatality rates worldwide −18.5 fatalities per 100.000 inhabitants-. In response to that, governments of ASEAN countries are currently introducing new regulations, which will help to improve the road safety standards in the region. This paper reviews new safety regulations in force of following ASEAN countries: Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam and the Philippines. General safety trends promote the approach to international standards as well as the adoption of UNECE regulations. In fact, the 1958 agreement was signed by Thailand and Malaysia in 2006. Besides, Malaysia has gradually adopted fifty-three UNECE regulations so far and is currently considering the inclusion of twenty-four more. After the success of other NCAP organizations, the ASEAN NCAP assessment program was established in 2011.

The development of a high-performance battery and safe and reliable charging methods are two important factors for commercialization of the Electric Vehicles(EV) Hyundai and Ovonic together spent many years in the research on optimum charging method for Ni-MH battery This paper presents in detail the results of intensive experimental analysis, performed by Hyundai in collaboration with Ovonic An on-board Ni-MH battery charger and its controller which are designed to use as a standard home electricity supply are described In addition, a 3 step constant current recharger with the temperature and the battery aging compensator is proposed This has a multi-loop algorithm function to detect its 80% and fully charged state, and carry out equalization charging control The algorithm is focused on safety, reliability, efficiency, charging speed and thermal management (maintaining uniform temperatures within a battery pack) It is also designed to minimize the necessity for user input.