We already mentioned PSA's plans to downsize engines in an effort to improve fuel efficiency. The French company will showcase the progress its making during PREDIT (National Program for Terrestrial Transport Innovation), which is taking place this week in Paris. PSA will show a prototype co-developed with Valeo and IFP (the teams behind the low-carbon Smart). The prototype is a Citroën C2 with a two-cylinder engine, 8 valves and a mild-hybrid system with Stop&Start and regenerative braking. This allows the sub-subcompact to use 3.8 l/100 km (62 mpg U. S.) and emit just 90 g/km of CO₂. The "regular" C2 featuring a 1.1 liter I4 engine uses 5.8 l/100 km (40.5 mpg U.S.) and produces 138 g/km of CO₂. The C2 in the gallery below is the sporty version.


[Source: Autoplus (h/t to Dominique for the tip)]

While it has looked like Peugeot would be the first company to market a mainstream passenger vehicle with a diesel hybrid powertrain, it now looks like it won't come as quickly as previously thought. PSA (parent company of Peugeot and Citroen) has been developing a diesel hybrid system in cooperation with suppliers Bosch, Continental, Valeo and Thyssen-Krupp. The system was originally supposed to debut in the compact Peugeot 308 in 2010. The cost of developing the system was to have been partially subsidized by the French government. With the European Commission putting the screws to that plan, PSA and its partners will move forward without the handout. As a result, the company has decided that in order to recover those development costs, they need to apply the system on a more expensive model first, which of course means the volumes will be lower. The change in plans also means the new powertrain won't appear until at least 2011. At the current rate, Peugeot may still be first to market, unless Mahindra's plans for a diesel hybrid version of their pickup come to fruition in 2010.

[Source: GreenCarCongress]

At the Frankfurt Motor Show in September, French automotive supplier Valeo will be displaying some of the components that they have developed to improve vehicle efficiency. Valeo claims that combining all of their technologies could yield efficiency improvements of up to forty percent. Whether those kinds of improvements could actually be achieved is debatable since the cumulative effects of multiple technologies typically adds up to less than the sum of each component.

Valeo will be showing off the electromagnetic valve actuation system that they have been promoting that allows for infinitely variable valve timing and lift without using camshafts. The start-stop system that is used on the mild hybrid Smart ForTwo will also be featured. These technologies will be shown in a display labeled "Green by Nature".

[Source: The Auto Channel]

We are pretty big fans of the stop/start technology that is being implemented by a growing list of automakers lately, as it is a relatively inexpensive way to get some meaningful fuel economy and emissions benefits. The systems can be adapted to many different platforms, because all modern cars are already set up with the components to make it work. The alternators and starters need to be made more powerful, and are combined in the Valeo StARS system, which is going to be standard on the new Smart Micro-Hybrid model. For some pictures of the machine, click here.

Valeo has a demonstration on their website which shows how their system works. They also have other products which can raise the efficiency of the vehicle they are applied to. One of the other major benefits to this simple system is that you do not need to change your driving habits to make it work. Of course, you might be able to get higher mileage if you do adjust your driving style, but the system is seamless and will work whenever it can. That's good for consumers who just want their machines to work without any extra hassle.

[Source: Valeo]

Automotive designers have been working on the idea of engines without camshafts for many years. Camshafts add complexity, weight and friction to engines. Due to it's physical profile, a cam can only control the movement of a valve within limited parameters, that won't be optimal for all operating conditions. Advancements in variable valve timing technology, in recent years have improved performance and efficiency. However, these VVT systems add still more mechanical complexity and weight.

The holy grail is to eliminate the camshaft all together and control every valve independently. French supplier Valeo now has several development contracts with car-makers to test their electro-magnetic valve control. Engines with electro-magnetically solenoid control of the valves would have less friction and the timing could be optimal under all conditions. Lubrication of the top end of the engine would also be simplified. According to Valeo the valve actuators are no longer a technical barrier but sensors are. The need for accurate input signals is critical to make the system work as is the need to ensure that the sensors last the lifetime of the engine under extremely difficult operating conditions.

Currently the camless engines are still more expensive than conventional engines. A four-cylinder engine with electronic actuation on only the intake valves is expected to cost about €300 more to build (still less than the premium for a diesel engine, though). This half-camless engine could achieve a 15 to 20 percent improvement in fuel economy, without any sensitivity to fuel quality, unlike direct injection systems. Valeo expects to see a camless engine on the market by 2010 or 2011. More details on Valeo's smart valve actuation are available at their site.

[Souce: Automotive News - subscription required]

While most consumers are now carefully looking at the fuel economy of their next car, legislators are still focusing their efforts on reducing vehicle emissions. While emission standards vary around the world, it is becoming increasingly difficult to meet the existing and future standards with incremental changes to conventional gasoline and diesel engines. Full hybrids, like the Toyota Prius and Ford Escape, offer fuel economy improvements, and as a direct result, produce lower CO2 emissions. But not every customer wants to buy one of the few hybrid models currently available. A mild hybrid system like the one proposed by Ricardo, an automotive consultant, allows downsizing of the engine by using a relatively low capacity battery in conjunction with an electric motor to boost torque when required. The system offers a no-compromise answer to improved fuel economy and reduced emissions, and is more cost effective. The system Ricardo developed with Valeo, known as Imogen, was demonstrated on an Opel Astra model originally propelled by a 2.0l diesel engine. The Imogen equipped prototype matches the power and torque of the original vehicle by using a 1.2 liter diesel engine combined with an electric starter/alternator mounted on the flywheel. Combined with electrification of the accessories and engine shut down, the car achieved a fuel economy of 3.98litres/100km in the NEDC cycle, a 28% improvement of the baseline vehicle and tailpipe emissions reduced to half of the Euro 4 standards.

[Source: Engineer Live!]