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In this paper a torque strategy used by RENAULT for the control of a spark ignition engine is presented. With this new strategy for engine control, it was necessary to develop a new motorized butterfly valve. The design and development of this element is described in the paper. This research was carried out through the application of both modeling techniques using computational tools and experimental techniques on the steady flow rig and the engine bench.

The present concern in the reduction of CO2 emissions occasioned by heavy duty trucks is leading to a technological evolution, among others, in powertrain electrification. Towards this objective, the EU has funded the project GASTone targeting the development of a new powertrain concept based on the energy recovery from the exhaust gases and kinetic losses in order to make possible the electrification of the main auxiliaries. This new concept will follow a cascade approach in which the exhaust gases energy will be recovered by the integration of an advanced thermoelectric generator followed by a turbo-generator. This system will be combined with a smart kinetic energy recovery device which will recover the energy losses in the deceleration periods of the vehicle. The recovered energy will be used in the electrified auxiliaries.

The heating and cooling systems are an important issue in the development of fully electric vehicles (FEVs). On the contrary to vehicles with thermal engines, in FEVs there is almost no waste heat available for the heating of the cabin or for the window de-icing and defogging. The cooling of the cabin also demands a large amount of energy. Due to the high power consumption, the heating and cooling of FEVs is a compromise between thermal comfort and vehicle range. The aim of this work is to present the European project ICE (2010-2014) [1] which focuses on the development of an efficient air-conditioning and heating system based on a magneto-caloric heat pump and on a new system architecture to fulfill the thermal comfort requirements of an electric minibus. The system will be installed and demonstrated in a Daily Electric Mini-bus from IVECO-ALTRA.

Nowadays, more than 50% of the fuel energy is lost in CNG Engines. While efforts to increase their efficiency have been focused mainly on the improvement of the combustion process, the combustion chamber and the reduction of friction losses, heat losses still remain the most important inefficient factor. A global strategy in which several energy recovery strategies are implemented could lead to engine improvements up to 15%. Therefore, the development of accurate models to size and predict the performance of the integrated components as well as to define an optimized control strategy is crucial. In this contribution, a model to analyze the potential of a new powertrain based on the electrification of the main auxiliaries, the integration of a kinetic energy recovery system and the exhaust gases heat recovery through a thermoelectric generator and a turbo-component is presented.