With the 918 Spyder, the Panamera S E-Hybrid and the Cayenne S E-Hybrid, Porsche was the first car manufacturer in the world to offer three plug-in hybrid models. Among the suppliers Porsche relies on for the innovative drive system is Bosch. The possibilities offered by the combination of an internal combustion engine and an electric motor will impressively be demonstrated by the Porsche hybrid vehicles at the 62nd International Automotive Press Briefing at the Boxberg test track, starting May 19.

“We promised to redefine driving pleasure, efficiency and performance with the 918 Spyder. We kept our word, and in so doing repositioned hybrid technology”, says Wolfgang Hatz, Member of the Executive Board – Research and Development at Porsche AG. The Porsche 918 Spyder¹⁾ was the first globally road-legal car to complete the 20.6 kilometre lap of the North Loop of the Nürburgring in less than seven minutes. At exactly six minutes and 57 seconds, this super sports car with plug-in hybrid drive beat the existing record by 14 seconds. Porsche also integrated the knowledge gained from the develop-ment of the technology demonstrator into the electrification of the rest of its model range. The Panamera S E-Hybrid²⁾ and Cayenne S E-Hybrid³⁾ round off the product range and make Porsche the global market leader for hybrid cars in the premium segment.

“Porsche and Bosch have teamed up to bring electrification to electrifying sports cars together. Electricity gives added driving pleasure and efficiency”, says Dr. Rolf Bulander, Chairman of the Business Sector Mobility Solutions at Bosch. For the three plug-in models made by Porsche, Bosch supplies the power electronics, the battery pack, the electric motors for the Cayenne and Panamera and the electric motor installed on the front axle of the 918 Spyder.

918 Spyder: a unique combination of performance and efficiency
The project definition for the 918 Spyder’s development team was to build the super sports car for the next decade with a highly efficient and high performance hybrid drive. The completely new development, which logically started from scratch on a blank piece of paper, allows a new concept without having to make any concessions. The whole car was designed around the hybrid drive. The 918 Spyder thus highlights the potential of hybrid drives, i.e. the simultaneous increase in efficiency and performance, without one coming at the expense of the other. Thanks to the SMG 180/120 electric motor developed by Bosch, the Porsche 918 Spyder has an additional 210 kW (286 hp) of driving power. The electric motor on the front axle of the 918 Spyder delivers a torque of 210 Nm right from the start, while the motor on the rear axle delivers 375 Nm. The result is a total system output of 652 kW (887 hp) with a maximum torque of up to 1,280 Nm, allowing the 918 Spyder to accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in a mere 2.6 seconds. The super sports car’s fuel consumption, on the other hand, is an amazing 3.1 litres per 100 km, making it more efficient in the NEDC test than most of today’s small cars.

Panamera S E-Hybrid and Cayenne S E-Hybrid: fuel consumption of a small car
The driving experience of a sports car combined with the consumption of a small car – the Porsche Cayenne S E-Hybrid and Panamera S E-Hybrid prove that these two are not contradictory to each other. The world’s first plug-in hybrid amongst the premium SUVs with a system output of 306 kW (416 hp) achieves an NEDC fuel consumption of just 3.4 l/100 km. The plug-in hybrid model of the Porsche Gran Turismo, which also has a system output of 306 kW (416 hp) stands out thanks to its weight advantage, rear-wheel drive and low drag, giving it a fuel consumption of just 3.1 l/100 km.

In the plug-in hybrid models of the Porsche Cayenne and Panamera, Bosch’s IMG-300 electric motor provides additional electrical propulsion. It gives a boost of up to 310 Nm of additional torque and provides 70 kW (95 hp) of additional power. The central interface between the electric motor and the battery is the INVCON 2.3 module made by Bosch. The power electronics are the control centre of the electric powertrain, because the system converts the direct current stored as energy in the battery into three-phase alternating current for the electric motor and vice versa. The traction battery stores the electricity in the powertrain. It is made up of prismatic cells with an energy capacity of 9.4 kilowatt hours in the Panamera S E-Hybrid and 10.8 kilowatt hours in the Cayenne S E-Hybrid that can be fully charged from a normal household power socket in less than four hours. Using a high current power supply, the charging time is almost halved to a good two hours.

A friend of mine just asked the following question after hearing Richard Hammond make a comment. She said:

“I think Hammond got it totally wrong when he gave a metaphor for a dragster suddenly swerving and crashing (a ‘moment’) as the difference between using a short-handled, smaller spanner to using a longer-handled, bigger spanner to tighten a bolt (no – in my book, the spanners show a difference in ‘leverage’). It is always recommended that women (yeah, yeah – depending on size and body-building, etc.) use longer-handled spanners, etc., because they give more leverage. Am I wrong, or missing something? Leverage, in my book, has nothing to do with “moments.” Come on e-learning teacher!”

And my reply is as follows (they are both correct by the way, but using different words for the same thing!):

A longer lever (spanner) means you need less force on the end of it to produce the same torque (turning force) at the nut – a person with a shorter spanner would need to apply more force on the spanner than you. This is as you suggest, the law of levers. Torque is arguably the same thing as a Moment which is defined as: “A turning effect produced by a force acting at a distance on an object.” Or perhaps better as: “The magnitude of a turning effect produced by a force acting at a distance, expressed as the product of the force and the distance from its line of action to a given point.”

Force (N) x distance (m) = Torque (Nm or Newton-meters)

However, moments are usually used to describe the way combinations of forces affect something. As long as all the moments on a car cancel each other out for example then it will not start to spin!

If you have a moment to spare – please add a comment! 🙂

Tom

PS. Why are we all so worried about Clark’s son at the moment – and who is Clark anyway?

PPS. To all my good friends in the USA a spanner is the proper name for a wrench…

Not very scientific yet (I will produce accurate figures over the year) but since fitting solar panels to my house 4 weeks ago, I have generated about 100 kWh. Again, I will be more accurate later, but I estimate I have used about half of this in the house and sold half of it back to the grid.

I get something like 4p a unit when I sell, so a mere £2 wil be my earnings for the month (4p x 50kWh) – or about £24 per year! However, I saved something like £7 (14p x 50 kWh) – or about £84 per year. A grand total of £108!

This is about the same as I would have got as interest on the cost of the panels – so near enough break even… But of course all this is in the middle of winter, roll on the summer sunshine!

Preventing microsleep

Bosch Driver Drowsiness Detection

• Fatigue is one of the main causes of serious accidents
• Characteristic steering movements indicate fatigue
• Driver drowsiness detection now a standard feature in Volkswagen’s Passat Alltrack

Fatigue and microsleep at the wheel are often the cause of serious accidents. However, the initial signs of fatigue can be detected before a critical situation arises. Bosch Driver Drowsiness Detection can do this by monitoring steering movements and advising drivers to take a break in time. The required information is provided either by the car’s electric power steering system, or by the steering angle sensor which is part of the car’s ESP® anti-skid system. The feature can therefore be installed cost-effectively and helps further increase road safety. Bosch Driver Drowsiness Detection can be used in passenger cars and light commercial vehicles, and can also be integrated into various control units in vehicles. It was first introduced as a standard feature in 2010, in the new Volkswagen Passat. The latest model with the function is the new Passat Alltrack.

The influence of fatigue on accidents has been demonstrated in a number of studies. In 2010, the American Automobile Association (AAA) published an analysis based on the accident data collected by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) in the United States. The assessment showed that overtired drivers were at the wheel in 17 percent of all fatal accidents in the US.

Fading concentration and fatigue compromise the driver’s steering behaviour and response time. Fine motor skills deteriorate, and steering behaviour becomes less precise. The driver corrects small steering mistakes more often. The new driver drowsiness detection function is based on an algorithm which begins recording the driver’s steering behaviour the moment the trip begins. It then recognizes changes over the course of long trips, and thus also the driver’s level of fatigue. Typical signs of waning concentration are phases during which the driver is barely steering, combined with slight, yet quick and abrupt steering movements to keep the car on track. Based on the frequency of these movements and other parameters, among them the length of a trip, use of turn signals, and the time of day, the function calculates the driver’s level of fatigue. If that level exceeds a certain value, an icon such as a coffee cup flashes on the instrument panel to warn drivers that they need a rest. The Bosch Driver Drowsiness Detection function addresses an important aspect of the driver’s condition, and can thus contribute to improving road safety.

Automotive Technology is the largest Bosch Group business sector. According to preliminary figures, its sales came to 30.4 billion euros, or 59 percent of total group sales, in fiscal 2011. This makes the Bosch Group one of the leading automotive suppliers. Worldwide, more than 175,000 Automotive Technology associates work in seven areas of business: injection technology for internal-combustion engines, powertrain peripherals, alternative drive concepts, active and passive safety systems, assistance and comfort functions, in-car information and communication, as well as services and technology for the automotive aftermarket. Bosch has been responsible for important automotive innovations, such as electronic engine management, the ESP® anti-skid system, and common-rail diesel technology.

The Bosch Group is a leading global supplier of technology and services. According to preliminary figures, more than 300,000 associates generated sales of 51.4 billion euros in the areas of automotive and industrial technology, consumer goods, and building technology in fiscal 2011. The Bosch Group comprises Robert Bosch GmbH and its more than 350 subsidiaries and regional companies in some 60 countries. If its sales and service partners are included, then Bosch is represented in roughly 150 countries. This worldwide development, manufacturing, and sales network is the foundation for further growth. Bosch spent more than 4 billion euros for research and development in 2011, and applied for over 4,100 patents worldwide. With all its products and services, Bosch enhances the quality of life by providing solutions which are both innovative and beneficial.

More info: www.bosch.com

Back in 1940 evidently J

Some interesting info on superchargers and electric superchargers here:

http://www.akamoto.co.uk/resource-super-charging.htm

Una mezcla de alta calidad del sistema eLearning es el futuro de universidades, colegios y compañías de entrenamiento.  En ATT ya estamos trabajando con cientos de proveedores para hacerles su trabajo difícil más fácil. Nuestra solución de entrenamiento es la solución a sus problemas.

ATT está orgulloso de trabajar en asocio con e-Tech Simulation en la versión en español de nuestro material.

Espanol Auto (Manual de Ayudo)

(New book out in a few months…)

Six-stages of fault diagnosis

When a customer reports a fault here is a process to follow:

1. Verify: Is there actually a problem, confirm the symptoms

2. Collect: Get further information about the problem

3. Evaluate: Stop and think about the evidence

4. Test: Carry out further tests in a logical sequence

5. Rectify: Fix the problem

6. Check: Make sure all systems now work correctly

 

Here is a very simple example to illustrate the diagnostic process. The reported fault is excessive use of engine oil.

1. Question the customer to find out how much oil is being used (is it excessive?).

2. Examine the vehicle for oil leaks and blue smoke from the exhaust. Are there any service bulletins?

3. If leaks are found the engine could still be burning oil but leaks would be a likely cause.

4. A compression test, if the results were acceptable, would indicate a leak to be the most likely fault. Clean down the engine and run for a while. The leak will show up better.

5. Change a gasket or seal, etc.

6. Run through an inspection of the vehicle systems particularly associated with the engine. Double check the fault has been rectified and that you have not caused any further problems.

Be logical, that’s the secret!

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