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In order to improve the fuel economy for future high-efficiency spark ignition engines, the applications of advanced combustion strategies are considered to be beneficial with an overall lean and/or exhaust gas recirculation diluted cylinder charge. Stronger and more reliable ignition sources become more favorable under extreme lean/EGR conditions. Existing research indicates that the frequency of plasma restrikes increases with increased flow velocity and decreased discharge current level, and a higher discharge current can reduce the gap resistance and maintain the stretched plasma for a longer duration under flow conditions. An in-house developed current boost control system provides flexible control of the discharge current level and discharge duration. The current boost ignition system is based on a multi-coil system with a discharge current level of 180mA.

Lithium Ion (Li-ion) batteries have emerged as the dominant technology for electric mobility due to their performance, stability, and long cycle life. Nevertheless, there are emerging environmental and economic issues from Li-ion batteries related to depleting critical resources and their potential shortage. This paper focuses on developing the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and Life Cycle Costing (LCC) of a generic Li-ion battery pack with a Nickel-Manganese-Cobalt (NMC) cathode chemistry, being the most used, and a capacity of 95 kWh as an average between different carmakers. The LCA and LCC include all the relevant phases of the life cycle of the product. The costs related to the LCC assessment have been taken as secondary data. Lastly, the same system boundary has been chosen both for the LCA and LCC.

To increase vehicle range, light weighting of electric vehicles has been extensively researched and implemented by using aluminum intensive solutions. With regards to traction motors, aluminum alloys that have a desired combination of high electrical conductivity and strength are required for high power output and efficiency. In this research, a novel Al-Ce based alloy, with minor additions of Si and Mg for strengthening, was investigated in different heat treatment tempers to maximize mechanical properties while maintaining a high electrical conductivity. This new alloy system appears to have addressed the classic conundrum of the inverse relationship of mechanical performance verses electrical conductivity for traditional aluminum alloy systems. The results suggest that the Al-Ce-Si-Mg alloy had yield strength in excess of 120 MPa and electrical conductivity of at least 50 %IACS in the T5 and T6 conditions.

Alumina (Al2O3) thin film coatings are applied on Al alloys using Plasma Electrolytic Oxidation (PEO) method to reduce the wear and corrosion problems. Plasma Electrolytic Aluminating (PEA) is a technique which could generate Alumina coatings on cast iron, mild steel and copper alloys. In this study, the aim is to explore the anti-wear and anti-corrosion behaviours of PEA Alumina coatings on gray cast iron. The dry sliding tribology test data was obtained from Pin-on-Disk (POD) tests against SAE 52100 steel and Tungsten Carbide (WC) counterfaces. Comparing with the PEO Alumina coatings, the PEA Alumina coating has much lower Coefficient of Friction (COF) and less wear. The microstructure, chemical composition and phase composition of this coating were investigated with Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM), Energy-Dispersive X-Ray Spectroscopy (EDX) and X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), respectively. There was FeO (or FeAl2O4) found on the PEA Alumina coating.

In recent years, bearing electrical failures have been a significant concern in electric cars, restricting electric engine life. This work aims to introduce a coating approach for preventing electrical erosion on 52100 alloy steel samples, the most common material used on manufacturing bearings. This paper discusses the causes of shaft voltage and bearing currents, and summarizes standard electrical bearing failure mechanisms, such as morphological damages and lubrication failures. Alumina coatings are suitable for insulating the 52100 alloy steel samples because alumina coatings provide excellent insulation, hardness, and corrosion resistance, among other characteristics. The common method to coat an insulated alumina coating on the bearing is thermal spraying, but overspray can cause environmental issues, and the coating procedures are costly and time-consuming.

Performance of the ignition system becomes more important than ever, because of the extensively used EGR in modern spark-ignition engines. Future lean burn SI and SACI combustion modes demand even stronger ignition capability for robust ignition control. For spark-based ignition systems, extensive research has been carried out to investigate the discharge characteristics of the ignition process, including discharge current amplitude, discharge duration, spark energy, and plasma stretching. The correlation between the spark stretch and the discharge energy, as well as the impact of discharge current level on this correlation, are important with respect to both ignition performance, and ignition system design. In this paper, a constant volume combustion chamber is applied to study the impact of plasma stretch on the spark energy release process with cross-flow speed from 0 m/s up to 70 m/s.

Automotive Open System Architecture (AUTOSAR) is a system-level standard that is formed by the worldwide partnership of automotive manufacturers and suppliers who are working together to develop a standardized Electrical and Electronic (E/E) framework and architecture for automobiles. The AUTOSAR methodology has two main activities: system configuration and the Electronic Control Unit (ECU) configuration. The system configuration is the mapping of the software components to the ECUs based on the system requirements. The ECU configuration (EC) process is an important part of the ECU software integration and generation. ECU-specific information is extracted from the system configuration description, and all the necessary information for the implementation such as tasks, scheduling, and assignments of the runnables to tasks and configuration of the Basic Software (BSW) modules are performed. The EC process involves configuring every single module of the AUTOSAR.

Major original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) have already marketed electric vehicles in large scale but apart from business strategies and policies, the real engineering problems must be addressed. Lithium-ion batteries are a promising technology for energy storage; however, their low energy density and complex electro-chemical nature, compared to fossil fuels, presents additional challenges. Their complex nature and strong temperature dependence during operation must be studied with additional accuracy, capable to predict their behavior. In this research, a pseudo two dimensional (P2D) electro-chemical model, for a recent high capacity NMC pouch cell for automotive applications is developed. The electrochemical model with its temperature dependent parameters is validated at high, low, and reference temperature within 10°C to 50°C temperature range. For each temperature various discharge C-rates to accurately replicate the battery cell operational conditions.

Automotive Open System Architecture (AUTOSAR) is a system-level standard that is formed by the worldwide partnership of the automotive manufacturers and suppliers who are working together to develop a standardized Electrical and Electronic (E/E) framework and architecture for automobiles. The AUTOSAR methodology has two main activities: system configuration and the Electronic Control Unit (ECU) configuration. The system configuration is the mapping of the software components to the ECUs based on the system requirements. The ECU configuration process is an important part of the ECU software integration and generation. ECU specific information is extracted from the system configuration description and all the necessary information for the implementation such as tasks, scheduling, assignments of the runnables to tasks and configuration of the Basic Software (BSW) modules, are performed. The ECU configuration process involves configuring every single module of the AUTOSAR architecture.

For internal combustion engine systems, lean and diluted combustion is an important technology applied for fuel efficiency improvement. Because of the thermodynamic boundary conditions and the presence of in-cylinder flow, the development of a well-sustained flame kernel for lean combustion is a challenging task. Reliable spark discharge with the addition of enhanced delivered energy is thus needed at certain time durations to achieve successful combustion initiation of the lean air-fuel mixture. For a conventional transistor coil ignition system, only limited amount of energy is stored in the ignition coil. Therefore, both the energy of the spark discharge and the duration of the spark discharge are bounded. To break through the energy limit of the conventional transistor coil ignition system, in this work, an adaptive spark ignition system is introduced. The system has the ability to reconstruct the conductive ion channels whenever it is interrupted during the spark discharge.

Electric vehicle is increasingly becoming popular and an alternative choice for the consumers because of its environment-friendly operation. Permanent magnet synchronous machines are widely and commonly used as traction motors since they provide higher torque and power density. High torque and power density mean higher current which eventually causes higher temperature rise in the motor. Higher temperature rise directly affects the motor output. Standard tests for UDDS (Urban Dynamometer Driving Schedule) and HWFET (Highway Fuel Economy Driving Schedule) drive cycles are used to determine performance of traction motors in terms of torque, power, efficiency and thermal health. Traction motors require high torque at low speed for starting and climbing; high power at high speed for cruising; wide speed range; a fast torque response; high efficiency over wide torque and speed ranges and high reliability.

Ignition performance is critical for the implementation of diluted combustion for spark-ignition engines. The short circuit and restrike phenomena can influence the initial ignition volume and discharge duration which are important for the stable ignition processes. In this study, the short circuits and restrikes of spark channels are studied with various flow velocities, spark plug gaps and discharge energies. The development of the spark channels is captured by using the direct imaging technique with a CMOS camera equipped with an image intensifier. A multi-coil ignition system is designed to enable flexible control of discharge energies. The results show that the spark plug gap size is a critical parameter to suppress the phenomena of short circuits and restrikes. With the enlargement of spark plug gap, the maximum and average lengths of the spark channel effectively increase.

Due to high torque and power density, permanent magnet synchronous motor (PMSM) has become the most viable candidate for electric vehicle (EV) traction application. However, to obtain such high torque and power density within a compact motor structure can cause a significant temperature rise within the motor while operating. As a result of high temperature rise, permanent magnet demagnetization may even occur within the motor. Thus, PMSM is susceptible to thermal instability. Therefore, to ensure thermal stability during varying operating conditions, thermal analysis is a mandatory procedure in addition to electromagnetic analysis during the design phase of the motor. In this paper, a computationally efficient numerical finite element analysis (FEA) process has been proposed for thermal analysis of PMSM.

In the recent decades, the emission and fuel efficiency regulations put forth by the emission regulation agencies have become increasingly stringent and this trend is expected to continue in future. The advanced spark ignition (SI) engines can operate under lean conditions to improve efficiency and reduce emissions. Under such lean conditions, the ignition and complete combustion of the charge mixture is a challenge because of the reduced charge reactivity. Enhancement of the in-cylinder charge motion and turbulence to increase the flame velocity, and consequently reduce the combustion duration is one possible way to improve lean combustion. The role of air motion in better air-fuel mixing and increasing the flame velocity, by enhancing turbulence has been researched extensively. However, during the ignition process, the charge motion can influence the initial spark discharge, resulting flame kernel formation, and flame propagation.

As European and Chinese tailpipe emission regulations for gasoline light-duty vehicles impose particulate number limits, automotive manufacturers have begun equipping some vehicles with a gasoline particulate filter (GPF). Increased understanding of how soot morphology, reactivity, and GPF loading affect GPF filtration and regeneration characteristics is necessary for advancing GPF performance. This study investigates the impacts of morphology, reactivity, and filter soot loading on GPF filtration and regeneration. Soot morphology and reactivity are varied through changes in fuel injection parameters, known to affect soot formation conditions. Changes in morphology and reactivity are confirmed through analysis using a transmission electron microscope (TEM) and a thermogravimetric analyzer (TGA) respectively.

Laser cladding is used to coat a surface of a metal to enhance the metallurgical properties at the surface level of a substrate. For surface cladding operations, overlapping bead geometry is required. Single bead analyses do not provide a complete representation of essential properties; hence, this research focuses on overlapping conditions. The research scope targets the coaxial laser cladding process specifically for P420 stainless steel clad powder using a fiber optic laser with a 4.3 mm spot size on a low/medium carbon structural steel plate (AISI 1018). Many process parameters influence the bead geometrical shape, and it is assumed that the complex temperature distributions within the process could cause subsequent large variations in hardness values. The bead overlap configurations experiments are performed with 40%, 50% and 60% bead overlaps for a three-pass bead formation.

Laser cladding is a novel process of surface coating, and researchers in both academia and industry are developing additive manufacturing solutions for large, metallic components. There are many interlinked process parameters associated with laser cladding, which may have an impact on the resultant microhardness profile throughout the bead zone. A set of single bead laser cladding experiments were done using a 4 kW fiber laser coupled with a 6-axis robotic arm for 420 martensitic stainless steel powder. A design of experiments approach was taken to explore a wide range of process parameter settings. The goal of this research is to determine whether robust predictive models for hardness can be developed, and if there are predictive trends that can be employed to optimize the process settings for a given set of process parameters and microhardness requirements.

Modularity in product architecture and its significance in product development have become an important product design topics in the last few decades. Several Product Modularity definitions and methodologies were developed by many researchers; however, most of the definitions and concepts have proliferated to the extent that it is difficult to apply one universal definition for modular product architecture and in product development. Automotive seat modular strategy and key factors for consideration towards modular seat design and assemblies are the main focus of this work. The primary objectives are focused on the most “natural segmentation” of the seat elements (i.e., cushions, backs, trims, plastics, head restraints, etc.) to enable the greatest ease of final assembly and greatest flexibility for scalable feature offerings around common assembly “hard-points.”

Thermal comfort in automotive seating has been studied and discussed for a long time. The available research, because it is focused on the components, has not produced a model that provides insight into the human-seat system interaction. This work, which represents the beginning of an extensive research program, aims to establish the foundation for such a model. This paper will discuss the key physiological, psychological, and biomechanical factors related to perceptions of thermal comfort in automotive seats. The methodology to establish perceived thermal comfort requirements will also be presented and discussed.

A three-pole spark igniter, with the concept to broaden the ignition area, is employed in this paper to investigate the effect of spark discharge strategies on the early ignition burning process. The prototyped three-pole igniter has three independent spark gaps arranged in a triangular pattern with a circumradius of 2.3 mm. Direct-capacitor discharge techniques, utilizing close-coupled capacitors parallel to the spark gap, are applied on the three-pole igniter to enhance either the transient spark power or the overall energy. In particular, the simultaneous discharge of high energy plasma on three spark gaps can produce a surface-like ignition process which intensifies the plasma-flame interaction, thereby producing a rapid flame kernel development. The ignition strategies are evaluated in both constant volume combustion vessels and a modified single-cylinder metal engine.