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How are batteries used in the mobility industry? This three-week hybrid course introduces how batteries fit into the energy context and provides the fundamental knowledge and state-of-the-art insights into battery technologies. It will cover the key role of batteries as a tool for energy storage, the main components and parameters that characterize a battery, and the electrochemical phenomena that lie behind battery operation.

In recent years, deposit formation in the fuel systems for heavy-duty engines, using drop-in fuels, have become increasingly common. Drop-in fuels are particularly appealing because as they are compatible with existing engines, allowing for higher proportions of alternative fuels to be blended with conventional fuels. However, the precipitation of insoluble substances from drop-in fuels can result in fuel filter clogging and the formation of internal injector deposits, leading to higher fuel consumption and issues with engine drivability. The precise reasons behind the formation of these deposits in the fuel system remain unclear, with factors such as operating conditions, fuel quality, and fuel contamination all suggested as potential contributors. In order to reproduce and study the formation of internal injector deposits, for heavy-duty engines under controlled conditions, facilitating a more precise comparison to field trials, a novel injector test rig has been developed.

The objective of the project was to evaluate the energy efficiency of a hybrid electric tractor-semi-trailer combination prototype. The prototype was developed for log hauling application by integrating an existing tractor with an electric semi-trailer to improve fuel consumption and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. One of the conventional axles of the quad axle semi-trailer was replaced with a drive axle powered by an electric motor. Tests were conducted on a 105 km test route with a maximum difference in elevation of 355 m, including a hilly section with a length of 89 km. The results indicated fuel savings ranging from 10.5% to 14% per test run, with an average fuel savings of 12% when the electric drive axle was engaged. The hybrid electric tractor semi-trailer consumed 17.5% less fuel up-hill and 9.4% less down-hill. Throughout each test run, the battery’s state of charge fluctuated, averaging between 88% at the start and 52% at the end.

Combustion in conventional and advanced diesel engines is an intricate process that encompasses interaction among fuel injection, fuel-air mixing, combustion, heat transfer, and engine geometry. Manipulation of fuel injection strategies has been recognized as a promising approach for optimizing diesel engine combustion. Although numerous studies have investigated this topic, the underlying physics behind flame interactions from multiple fuel injections, spray-flame-wall interaction and their effects on reaction zones, and NOx/soot emissions are still not well understood. To this end, a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) study is performed to investigate the effects of pilot and post injections on in-cylinder combustion process and emissions (NOx and soot) formation in a heavy-duty (HD) diesel engine.

Catalyst heating operation in compression-ignition engines is critical to ensure rapid light-off of exhaust catalysts during cold-start. This is typically achieved by using late post injections for increased exhaust enthalpy, which retardability is constrained by acceptable CO and unburned hydrocarbons emissions, since they are directly emitted through the tailpipe due to the inactivity of the oxidation catalyst at these conditions. Post-injection retardability has shown to be affected by the cetane number of the fuel [SAE 2022-01-0483], but it is unclear how other fuel properties may affect the ability to retard the combustion. This study aims to understand the impact of the distillation characteristics of the fuel on the performance of catalyst heating operation and on post-injection retardability.

Abstract Engine brakes are more effective in braking a heavy-duty vehicle during deceleration compared to the traditional clutch-brake system. Therefore, commercial vehicle OEM’s along with regulations, demand the acclimatizing of engine brake (EB) system. To achieve this, it is equally important to adopt to variable valve actuation dynamic valvetrain (VT) system. To help develop these systems, Model Based Product Development approach is used primarily at Eaton. In current work, the effect of valve lash sensitivity on EB performance and VT dynamics is studied using multi physics GT-SUITE models. This helps to understand the impact of lash on valve lift opening, lift loss and overall VT system compliance. In addition to above VT dynamics, its effect on EB power is also studied. This is done using a medium duty 6-cylinder GT-POWER engine model developed from Fast Response Model (FRM) database.

With all the environmental concern of diesel fuelled vehicle, it is a formidable challenge to phase out them completely specifically from Heavy duty application. Most pragmatic solution lies in solutions which improves the fuel economy and reduce the carbon emission of existing diesel fuelled vehicle fleet and have economical & feasible for vast geographical extent of country. With implementation of BS VI emission norms across country from April 2020, supply of BS VI complied diesel fuel started and BS VI complied vehicles with upgraded engine technologies and after treatment devices have started to come which make present vehicle fleets heterogeneous with substantive number of BS IV vehicle. Beside improvement of engine technologies, existing BS IV vehicle fleet performance can be enhanced through improved fuel and lubricants solutions.

This paper studies design parameters, selection of materials and structural analysis for an All-Terrain Vehicle (ATV) BAJA roll cage at the event site in any possible situation. SolidWorks 2022 was used for creating the prototype of the roll cage and then both static structural as well as dynamic crash analysis for the roll cage was done using Altair HyperWorks 2023 for various collisions like front, rear, side, rollover, torsional, front bump, rear bump, front roll over, side roll over and rear roll over. In addition to their corresponding deformation, Von Mises stresses were observed and a safety factor was calculated for these load cases which was found to be in the range of 1.5 to 3. Without reducing the roll cage’s strength, the roll cage designed for a four-wheel drive configuration is developed with driver comfort and safety in mind. Finding the optimal safety factor is the core objective of the analysis, as it ensures in any situation, the ATV’s roll cage will stay secure.

This course explores the design and performance of battery technologies used in today’s battery-electric vehicles. It focuses on the skills required to define a battery pack design, how battery packs are manufactured, and tests required before entering the market. Participants will leave the course equipped with tools to understand vehicle battery specifications and be able to extract the useful information from the large volume of electric vehicle content published daily. It also defines and analyzes fundamentals of battery operation and performance requirements for HEV, PHEV, EREV and full electric vehicle applications.

Climate across India varies from extreme Cold to extreme hot. As an objective to improve comfort to drivers during summer, it is mandate by Indian Government to introduce Air Conditioning in Trucks from June 2025. Air Conditioning system includes Evaporator, compressor, Condenser and expansion units. Condenser needs continuous air flow to reject the absorbed heat from driver cabin to surrounding air. This is possible by directing air through condenser by an external fan. For this condenser is remotely mounted with an electric driven fan or directly to the radiator-fan system. In this paper a case study is presented where Cooling system of a Non AC Intermediate Commercial Truck is modified for Air Conditioning application. Condenser is mounted on the radiator and the additional heat load is managed by a minor change in the system. Fan is operated based on coolant temperature and with additional controls for Air Conditioning. Simulations are done in a Thermal management software “KULI”.

A well-designed cooling system is crucial in construction machines for efficient heat dissipation from vital components, including the radiator, hydraulic oil cooler, transmission oil cooler, and charge air cooler. The radiator ensures optimal engine performance and longevity by maintaining a stable operating temperature. Hydraulic oil coolers preserve hydraulic system efficiency, while transmission oil coolers protect the transmission from excessive heat, extending its lifespan. Charge air coolers optimize engine performance through denser intake air. The robust cooling system enhances system reliability, reduces downtime, and increases operator safety in demanding construction environments. The size and location of coolers are critical in cooling system design.

Electrification or hybridization of commercial vehicles offers a promising avenue for mitigating emissions in urban environments. This concept is particularly applicable to waste collection vehicles, which move in urban contexts along repeatedly chosen driving cycles. Municipal waste collection and transport are functional tasks which have a significant impact on the urban environment in terms of energy consumption and CO2 emissions. In this work, the evaluation of a full-electric powertrain was carried out for a small size waste collection vehicle operating in the historic center of the city of Perugia (Italy). First, the vehicle model was developed and validated starting from experimental data collected by the local waste collection company (Gesenu SpA), using a state-of-the-art gasoline powertrain (internal combustion engine).

Fighting climate change has become a major task worldwide. Alongside the United States and China, Europe is considered as one of the biggest greenhouse gases (GHG) emitters. Therefore, the European Union (EU) has set long term strategies to reduce emissions. One of the key energy sectors to emit greenhouse gases is transportation. In this context, EU has turned its eye toward cutting emissions from the transport sector and has recently put its stamp of approval on a reworked law banning all new sales of internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles from 2035. Despite representing only 2% of the vehicles on the road, trucks account for more than a quarter of road transport emissions in the EU and have been increasing every year since 1990.