Environmental change is the unforgiving reality faced by humanity at the moment. There are many aspects that contribute towards environment transformation and each business has the accountability to take intended steps to reverse this unwanted alteration.
In India, there has been considerable conversation about electric vehicles in the past few years. Though the research is underway for 2-wheelers, four wheelers and commercial vehicles, we will consider 48V engines in particular for our conversation today.
The international auto commerce is conscious of environmental fluctuations and has been battling this through well-planned technologies, while educating the stakeholders concerned, including motorists, in parallel. As the drive towards clean fuel is an ongoing quest, there are already several breakthrough innovations, which have come through in-vehicle technology.
We can say with a great degree of certainty that petrol and diesel engines are far from dead. While the BS VI emission norms will make them more expensive, neither one of these fuel types are going off the shelf anytime soon.
Amid the numerous inventions, battery-operated automobiles appear to be the utmost workable choice, be it in terms of price, technology application or with the overall reception among the customers.
As customers across the globe are now moving towards environmental-friendly automobiles, the 48-volt or 48V electrical system has appeared as the new redeemer. The structure of the system does not need any automobile producer to renovate its prevailing arrangement as it is a harmonising and complementary technology.
48 Volt Eco Drive system enables cost-efficient mass hybridisation. Functions such as advanced stop-start, coasting and electric boost save 13-20 percent of fuel. In mild-hybrid application, the 48V e-motor replaces the 12V alternator.
As of today, 48V is an influential and marketable practical resolution for hybrid vehicles. In this prospect, a complete hybrid vehicle model is still a distance away, given certain challenges.
If you look across Europe, there are a limited number of automobile manufacturers, who have brought the 48V mild hybrid cars on the streets. As an organisation focused on cleaner air, Vitesco Technologies is intensely involved with this expertise and has gained arduous proficiency.
Nevertheless, the test remains to push these technologies into nations like India which, like other advanced markets, has its own necessities. These advances are optimistic to Vitesco Technologies as it holds the promise of further growth into the technological arena of 48V, which can be positioned, depending on the request from the OEMs in India. The prospects look encouraging as the government is keen on unleashing the EV movement in India. This could provide a safer environment for commuters where 48V will be one of the key contributors.
Climate change and oil dependency are concerns highly debated by governments and the automotive industry. As a consequence, automobile manufacturers are forced to invest heavily in R&D and control manufacturing costs to cope with stringent emission norms worldwide. The industry feels the need for hybrid and electric vehicles which are appropriate for future transport.
Mild hybrid solutions with 48V architecture have emerged as the most promising alternatives, when compared with conventional internal combustion engines and fully electric vehicles.
With the upsurge in electronic components in a car, infotainment systems, advanced driver assistance systems and powertrain controls often require higher power, limiting the use of 12V electrical systems which has been typical for several decades. 48V electrical systems, a secondary source of power, complement the use of advanced technology and support hybridisation, without the complexities of a fully electric vehicle.
The 48V mild-hybrid architecture includes a ‘starter generator’, a lithium-ion storage battery and a DC/DC converter that integrates the 12V electrical system, controllers and hybrid powertrain and a hybrid-turbocharger or a supercharger. The 48V construction doesn't dislodge the standard 12V electrical structure; rather, it is combined with the 12V system through a DC/DC converter.
The classic auto accessories run on 12V while the 48V battery supports advanced hybridization. In any case, in contrast to electric vehicles, mild-hybrid starter generators don't drive the wheels directly but are a subsidiary technology.
Mild hybrids bring 70 per cent benefits of a full hybrid at 30 percent of the cost to both petrol and diesel vehicles. Recuperation of energy is possible with these mild hybrids and engine shut-off during coasting or downhill driving is achievable. Greater CO2 savings are possible with 48V technology. Coupled to an internal-combustion engine, the starter generator provides restart power as well as 15kW and up to 100 Nm of additional torque. Thirteen to 21 percent fuel efficiency is estimated with this technology. Many suppliers and OEMs have commercialised this technology globally and one can spot these mild hybrids on the roads already.
Multiple global providers have now commercialised this technology, and some are already in sequential manufacturing of the same. We are looking forward to the new course of electrification wave now to upsurge in India.
About the author:
This article is authored by Sharath Tengse, Head of SW Development, Electronic Controls, at Vitesco Technologies, India.