Chrysler Group LLC and the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on Wednesday announced a cooperative agreement to develop and adapt hydraulic hybrid technology for the light duty auto market.
The hydraulic hybrid system, developed by the EPA’s lab in Ann Arbor, is currently used in industrial applications, including
large delivery trucks and refuse trucks across the country. The
technology has shown substantial increases in fuel economy when compared
with traditional powertrains in the same type of vehicles.
A joint engineering team will design and integrate the hydraulic hybrid system into a minivan, and test the demonstration vehicle in 2012. The minivan will feature a unique powertrain that replaces the automatic transmission.
The system produces power with engine torque driving a hydraulic pump
that charges the high pressure accumulator of up to 5,000 p.s.i. The
high-pressure accumulator delivers the pressure energy to the axle
hydraulic motor, giving the vehicle power to drive the wheels. The gas
engine will remain off if the accumulator charge is sufficient to drive
the motor.
The hybrid system could boost minivan fuel efficiency by about 35% to around 27 mpg, according to an Associated Press story.
The announcement was made at the EPA laboratories in Ann Arbor, Mich., following a meeting with Sergio Marchionne, Chrysler Group CEO, and Lisa P. Jackson, Agency Administrator for the EPA.
“The EPA and Chrysler are working together to explore the possibilities
for making this technology affordable and accessible to drivers
everywhere," said EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson.
Chrysler also said it will introduce 150 Ram 1500 trucks with a plug-in hybrid system in the coming months as part of a project with the U. S. Department of Transportation.
Chrysler had the lowest fleet gas mileage of any major automaker in 2009. The company, which is 10 owned by the U.S. government following a $12.5 billion bailout, dropped its plans for developing several electric vehicles in 2009.
In Related News…
A Toyota Motor Corp. (NYSE: TM) supplier is developing motors for electric and hybrid cars that don’t use rare earths to help cut reliance on materials from China and enter a new line of business.
Read the Bloomberg Businessweek story at the link below.
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