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Auto manufacturers have known and surveys confirm that consumers require short payback periods (2-4 years) for investments in fuel economy. Using societal discount rates, engineering-economic generally find substantial potential to increase fuel economy, cost-effectively. This phenomenon, often referred to as the ?energy paradox?, has been observed in nearly all consumers? choices of energy-using durable goods. Loss aversion, perhaps the most well established theory of behavioral economics, provides a compelling explanation. Engineering economic analyses generally overlook the fact that consumers? investments in fuel economy are not sure things but rather risky bets. Future energy prices, real world on-road fuel economy, and many other factors are uncertain. Loss aversion describes a fundamental human tendency to exaggerate the potential for loss relative to gain when faced with a risky bet. It provides a sufficient explanation for consumers?

This session covers topics regarding new CI and SI engines and components. This includes analytical, experimental, and computational studies covering hardware development as well as design and analysis techniques. Presenter Sung Hoon Lee, Hyundai Motor Co.

Some the OBD-II regulations have been around for a long time or seem to be intuitively obvious. It is easy to assume to assume that everyone knows how to implement them correctly, that is, until someone actually reads the words and tries to do it. Most often, these issues come up when modifying existing OBD features, not when creating completely new ones. This presentation contains a few examples of features that should have been easy to implement, but turned out not to be easy or simple. Presenter Paul Algis Baltusis, Ford Motor Co.

From 2009 until present Toyota has had a demonstration program of Prius PHV which is comprised of 600 vehicles throughout Japan, Europe and in the US. The vehicles were given to government agencies, corporations, utility companies and private individuals to use. With these demo units Toyota wanted to understand the market reaction and real world impact of plug-in technology on gasoline displacement with increased use of electricity as a fuel. This presentation shows that approximately 50% of fuel was saved using the PHVs in the US. An experiment in Toyota City shows that if public infrastructure is optimized to be convenient and located where people normally park, there is a potential to achieve an ideal fuel savings of 61%. The demonstration program shows that plug-in technology in fact saves fuel and that the proper infrastructure can optimize the fuel savings of plug-in hybrids. Presenter Avernethy Francisco, Toyota

Need for worldwide harmonization of regulations. Presenter James Vondale, Ford Motor Co.

Update on light-duty regulations. Presenter Michael J. McCarthy, California Air Resources Board

Propane autogas, the world?s third most-used engine fuel, powers vehicles, transit buses, and now school buses. Blue Bird has recently launched the Next Generation Vision type C school bus, powered by a ROUSH CleanTech liquid propane autogas fuel system and a Ford 6.8L V10 engine. The bus reduces operating costs by up to 40%, greenhouse gas emissions by up to 24%, and maintains the factory horsepower, torque, and towing capacity ratings. Learn about how school districts are saving over $.30 / mile using this clean, domestically-produced fuel. Presenter Brian Carney, Roush CleanTech.

In the pursuit of a sustainable transportation systems, Toyota is considering a comprehensive approach pursuing multiple advanced technologies to address three primary issues: GHG, Petroleum Use, and Air Quality. Vehicles must be ready for and affordable to the mass market to provide the customer choices to meet their transportation needs whether it is EV's, Hybrids, Plug-In Hybrids or Fuel Cell Hydrogen Hybrids. Our studies have shown that EVs have the potential to provide significant improvements in energy utilization especially combined with other advanced technologies. Toyota believes that a combination of these technolgies will provide complementary solution that enables a sustainable transportation system. Presenter Takehito Yokoo, Toyota Motor Corporation

One of the major trends in the last decade has been the increasing hybridization in the vehicle population. The degree of hybridization varies from mild to strong including those capable of limited, all electric range. Some experts predict that hybridization will spread to 100% of vehicles in the next decade. In addition, the recent introduction of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles has added a significant new dimension to the hybridization scene. This talk will focus on the global trends in hybrid sales, including plug-in hybrids, and will try to identify the various mechanisms, whether legislation or incentives, which are driving this increase in sales. Data will be gathered from various countries in the world including China, Europe, Japan and the United States. The potential for different mechanisms in play in the developed world compared to the developing world will be examined.

Powertrain Systems development is facing unprecedented challenges driven by the convergence of many factors: increasing government regulations for tailpipe emissions, diagnostics and fuel economy, increased competition, shorter development cycles, and tighter program budgets. Using telematics and information technology to automate the evaluation of a system�s robustness enables engineers to focus their time on problem areas during their normal development process and launch with quality. This presentation will use real world examples to detail how this methodology was jointly applied by Control-Tec and Ford Motor Company to identify and improve the system performance of Ford�s Air-Fuel Imbalance Monitor before production. Presenter Bill Leisenring, Control-Tec LLC

A combination of laboratory reactor measurements and vehicle FTP testing has been combined to demonstrate a method for diagnosing the formation of NO2 from a diesel oxidation catalyst (DOC). Using small cores from a production DOC and simulated diesel exhaust, the laboratory reactor experiments are used to support a model for DOC chemical reaction kinetics. The model we propose shows that the ability to produce NO2 is chemically linked to the ability of the catalyst to oxidize hydrocarbon (HC). For thermally damaged DOCs, loss of the HC oxidation function is simultaneous with loss of the NO2 production function. Since HC oxidation is the source of heat generated in the DOC under regeneration conditions, we conclude that a diagnostic of the DOC exotherm is able to detect the failure of the DOC to produce NO2. Vehicle emissions data from a 6.6 L Duramax HD pick-up with DOC of various levels of thermal degradation is provided to support the diagnostic concept.

The OBD approval process can be a frustrating time for both manufacturer and ARB staff. For manufacturers, a long approval process can sometimes mean accepting deficiencies prematurely in exchange for an approval. For ARB staff, they are inundated with highly technical information which they must review, garner understanding of and then apply their experience to evaluate it for compliance. OBD approval anxiety can be minimized, if not avoided, when manufacturers understand ARB�s expectations. This presentation will take you through some unwritten rules and common pitfalls which can impede the approval process, thus providing a guideline to a less painful and more efficient certification document review and approval. Presenter Mark Frank, Winterpark Engineering Llc

Hybrid technology has the potential to enable dramatic reductions in greenhouse gases (GHG), such as the California goal of reducing GHG by 80 percent from 1990 levels by 2050. As a result it is expected that hybrid systems will occupy a growing proportion of the market. However, introducing a hybrid system in a vehicle may adversely affect the performance of the engine OBD system in monitoring malfunctions impacting pollutant emissions. For example, a hybrid system that reduces time of the engine in idle or deceleration overrun conditions could make a well-performing engine OBD system noncompliant, by reducing in-use frequency of some OBD monitors below acceptable levels. In this presentation, Ricardo will present a process for evaluating the impact that a hybrid system which has been optimised to minimise GHG emission over a specified drive-cycle will have on the effectiveness of engine OBD monitors.

“Spotlight on Design: Insight” features an in-depth look at the latest technology breakthroughs impacting mobility. Viewers are virtually taken to labs and research centers to learn how design engineers are enhancing product performance/reliability, reducing cost, improving quality, safety or environmental impact, and achieving regulatory compliance. As global concerns about the negative consequences of greenhouse gases on the environment increase, regulatory agencies around the world are taking serious steps to address the issue of tailpipe emissions In the episode “Fuel Efficiency: Fuel Economy Testing” (12:05), engineers at the EPA’s National Vehicle and Fuel Emissions Laboratory demonstrate how different vehicles are tested for emissions, and AVL’s technical team shows how accurate tailpipe emissions can be measured and reported.

This presentation will cover an overview of challenges and key discussion points for advanced electric motor and drive testing . Voiko will visit some examples of how D&V approaches these issues and also some suggestions for how the industry can view these intriguing problems as opportunities. The presentation will also delve into current testing developments that involve resolver, load bank and power measurement devices by highlighting solutions in the market today. There will also be a cursory look into the future of electric motor testing and what we can expect in the near term. Presenter Voiko Loukanov, D&V Electronics Limited

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) contracted with FEV, Inc. to estimate the per-vehicle cost of employing selected advanced efficiency-improving technologies in light-duty motor vehicles. The development of transparent, reliable cost analyses that are accessible to all interested stakeholders has played a crucial role in establishing feasible and cost effective standards to improve fuel economy and reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The FEV team, together with engineering staff from EPA's National Vehicle and Fuel Emissions Laboratory, and FEV's subcontractor, Munro & Associates, developed a robust costing methodology based on tearing down, to the piece part level, relevant systems, sub-systems, and assemblies from vehicles ?with and without? the technologies being evaluated.

The fatty acid methyl esters (FAME's) - in Europe mostly RME (Rapeseed methyl ester) - are used in several countries as alternative biogene Diesel fuels in various blending ratios with fossil fuels (Bxx). Questions often arise about the influences of these biocomponents on the modern exhaust aftertreatment systems and especially on the regeneration of Diesel particle filters (DPF). In the present work different regeneration procedures of DPF systems were investigated with biofuels B0, B20 & B100. The tested regeneration procedures were: passive regenerations: DOC + CSF; CSF alone, active regenerations: standstill burner; fuel injections & DOC. During each regeneration on-line measurements of regulated and unregulated emission components (nanoparticles & FTIR) were conducted. It can be stated that the increased portion of RME in fuel provokes longer time periods to charge the filter with soot.

The Hybrid Electric Vehicle Team of Virginia Tech participated in the three-year EcoCAR Advanced Vehicle Technology Competition organized by Argonne National Laboratory, and sponsored by General Motors and the U.S. Department of Energy. The team established goals for the design of a plug-in, range-extended hybrid electric vehicle that meets or exceeds the competition requirements for EcoCAR. The challenge involved designing a crossover SUV powertrain to reduce fuel consumption, petroleum energy use, regulated tailpipe emissions, and well-to-wheel greenhouse gas emissions. To interface with and control the hybrid powertrain, the team added a Hybrid Vehicle Supervisory Controller, which enacts a torque split control strategy. This paper builds on an earlier paper [1] that evaluated the petroleum energy use, criteria tailpipe emissions, and greenhouse gas emissions of the Virginia Tech EcoCAR vehicle and control strategy from the 2nd year of the competition.

Biofuel usage is increasingly expanding thanks to its significant contribution to a well-to-wheel (WTW) reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. In addition, stringent emission standards make mandatory the use of Diesel Particulate Filter (DPF) for the particulate emissions control. The different physical properties and chemical composition of biofuels impact the overall engine behaviour. In particular, the PM emissions and the related DPF regeneration strategy are clearly affected by biofuel usage due mainly to its higher oxygen content and lower low heating value (LHV). More specifically, the PM emissions and the related DPF regeneration strategy are clearly affected by biofuel usage due mainly to its higher oxygen content and lower low heating value, respectively. The particle emissions, in fact, are lower mainly because of the higher oxygen content. Subsequently less frequent regenerations are required.

The first commercially available plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV), the General Motors (GM) Volt, was introduced into the market in mid-December 2010. The Volt uses a series-split powertrain architecture, which provides benefits over the series architecture that typically has been considered for use in electric-range extended vehicles (EREVs). A specialized EREV powertrain, called the Voltec, drives the Volt through its entire range of speed and acceleration with battery power alone and within the limit of battery energy, thereby displacing more fuel with electricity than a PHEV, which characteristically blends electric and engine power together during driving. This paper assesses the benefits and drawbacks of these two different plug-in hybrid electric architectures (series versus series-split) by comparing component sizes, system efficiency, and fuel consumption over urban and highway drive cycles.