The continuous oil cost growth and the more stringent emission legislations are paving the way for the market introduction of alternative eco-efficient propulsion technologies. In such perspective the future scenario of automotive propulsion systems will be achieved, in parallel, by further enhancement of 'conventional' reciprocating engines, by 'best' hybrid configuration development and, finally, by fuel cells evolution, in a short-middle-long timeframe respectively. However, for a sustainable mass production of eco-efficient technologies a careful trade-off between costs, vehicle features and regional requirements is required. The paper describes the GM advanced propulsion technology road map, mainly focusing on hybrids architectures and related development issues. The near term scenario of automotive propulsion systems will be achieved, in different maturity steps, by further enhancement & refinement of 'conventional' configurations and alternative fuels. The Diesel engine will share with the Gasoline one the leadership of the market, with shares depending mainly from regional contingencies. Both Diesel & Gasoline engines have further development opportunities adopting additional technologies. In the middle timeframe, alternative fuels and hybrids technology have a important role in the short and medium term, whereas fuel cells vehicles will be the long term solution. Some hybrids vehicles have already been put in the market, however, high costs of electric components, above all of batteries, prevent the mass diffusion of these vehicles. The success of this technology on the market will depend on different concurrent factors. First of all, incentives for hybrids vehicles buyers and emission legislation restriction by countries governments would definitely motivate buyers to prefer hybrids to conventional vehicles. From the other hand, components suppliers could play a prominent role in the improvement of electric components characteristics and cost reductions. The combinations of the two factors would increase the business case of hybrids, accelerating the mass production.
Hybrid Automotive Powertrains: the GM Global approach
Hybridantriebe für Automobile: GM-Globallösungen
Alternative Antriebe für Automobile, 2006, Alternative Propulsion Systems for Automobiles, 2006 ; 32-49
2007
18 Seiten, 10 Bilder, 7 Quellen
Conference paper
English
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