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The paper presents the main results of a study on the simulation of energy efficient management of on-board electric and thermal systems for a medium-size passenger vehicle featuring a parallel-hybrid diesel powertrain with a high-voltage belt alternator starter. A set of advanced technologies has been considered on the basis of very aggressive fuel economy targets: base-engine downsizing and friction reduction, combustion optimization, active thermal management, enhanced aftertreatment and downspeeding. Mild-hybridization has also been added with the goal of supporting the downsized/downspeeded engine performance, performing energy recuperation during coasting phases and enabling smooth stop/start and acceleration. The simulation has implemented a dynamic response to the required velocity and manual gear shift profiles in order to reproduce real-driver behavior and has actuated an automatic power split between the Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) and the Electric Machine (EM).

Fuel injection systems and performance is fundamental to combustion engine performance in terms of power, noise, efficiency, and exhaust emissions. There is a move toward electric vehicles (EVs) to reduce carbon emissions, but this is unlikely to be a rapid transition, in part due to EV batteries: their size, cost, longevity, and charging capabilities as well as the scarcity of materials to produce them. Until these issues are resolved, refining the spark-ignited engine is necessary to address both sustainability and demand for affordable and reliable mobility. Even under policies oriented to smart sustainable mobility, spark-ignited engines remain strategic, because they can be applied to hybridized EVs or can be fueled with gasoline blended with bioethanol or bio-butanol to drastically reduce particulate matter emissions of direct injection engines in addition to lower CO2 emissions.