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Hybridization of a light duty diesel vehicle based on two new different power train concepts for a parallel hybrid vehicle is discussed. The paper focuses on the design, development and performance evaluation of two new parallel HEV power trains. The diesel electric hybrid vehicles are different from other hybrids with regard to the power train. Two new hybrid drive-trains namely, a post-transmission architecture using an additional simple PGT, and a coupled PGT based parallel hybrid transmission are designed. To demonstrate the practical applicability, two research prototypes equipped with these power trains are built with the same degree of hybridization. The implementation of the new designs enables to overcome many problems encountered in the traditional vehicles. Among the various control strategies, a rule based control strategy is considered for the hybrid vehicles. The prototypes of hybrid electric vehicle are tested on chassis dynamometer and test tracks.

The need to reduce or contain a weight increase in new automobile designs is leading to the use of more and more aluminum and, in particular, to the adoption of aluminum outer body panels in a number of volume production vehicles. This has been made possible by improvements in the properties of heat treatable aluminum sheet materials and also from a better understanding of the issues related to part design and manufacturing. The alloy AA6111 has become the material of choice due to its unique combination of formability and paint bake strengthening and is used, for example, in the deck lids of the current Ford Crown Victoria, Grand Marquis and Taurus/Sable models. A modified process for this alloy has now been developed which significantly increases its paint bake strengthening and can be used either to obtain even better dent resistance or to reduce the gauge and hence obtain cost and weight savings.