AD&P; > October 2014 > NOTABLE
10
Advances from Valeo
Nowadays, leading suppliers must do a whole lot more than,
well, supply. They must develop compelling technology that
OEMs want to buy, and then they can supply it. Which brings
us to Valeo Group ( valeo.com ), a France-based supplier
that was established in 1923 and now has 124 production
sites, 16 research centers, 35 development centers and
some 74,800 people located in 29 diferent countries.
Here's a look of some of its recent developments, some
ready for deployment and others, well . . .
ECONOMICAL HYBRID TECH. Let's face it: hybrid
vehicles are more expensive than non-hybrids for the
simple reason that there are essentially two major systems
involved: the internal combustion engine and the electric
motor (and the associated batteries, power electronics,
etc.). So Valeo has worked on a new system that it
maintains will provide a 15% fuel savings at half the
cost of current hybrid systems, thereby making it more
afordable, even for entry-level cars. They cleverly call it
"Hybrid4All."
It is based on a low-voltage, 48-volt, integrated
inverter belt-starter generator (i-BSG), which operates
as an assist to the internal combustion engine. The
i-BSG can be located on the accessory drive (its motor
generator eliminates the need for an alternator, and it is
q System deploys an array of sensors to fnd a place to
park and then returns to the driver, all controlled by a
smartphone app.
approximately the size of an alternator, so there's room),
behind the transmission, or between the engine and the
transmission.
The system uses Valeo's start-stop system (iStARS),
regenerative braking, torque-assist, and a high-efciency
DC-DC converter.
The i-BSG is said to provide as much as 15 kW of peak
power.
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