Automotive Engineers Playing Catch-Up For Hybrid Components

Nothing sparked consumer interest in hybrid vehicles like $4/gal gasoline, but automotive engineers and suppliers are in a race to catch up with consumer demand for the vehicles. While several hybrid models are already in dealer show rooms, and more are expected in the coming years, electronics engineers are still trying to come to terms with the new demands that hybrid vehicles will place on components whose designs have long been stable.

The biggest issues for vehicle designers are component weight reduction. Weight is not the first thing that comes to mind when thinking of vehicle weight. Most people can deduce that the heaviest component in a vehicle is the engine, but few people would be able to identify the second heaviest vehicle component: the electrical wiring harness.

Reducing vehicle weight is critical to improving fuel economy, and automakers look for opportunities to shave even a few pounds off of the weight of a finished vehicle. In electric and hybrid electric cars, the batteries add hundreds of pounds to the vehicle, as does a bevy of electronic assist components. Certain mechanical components are a given and cannot be subtracted from the electric or hybrid-electric design. Other components are required by law - like windshields, airbags, bumpers, and exterior lighting. Yet other components, like air conditioning, are included to meet consumer demand.

These "must-haves" leave very little room to cut weight. Lighter weight steels and interior plastics can reduce vehicle weight somewhat, but there aren't many opportunities to achieve big weight reductions. Enter vehicle electronics.

Engineers are looking more closely at precision electronics to control fuel flow, compression and valve timing, as well as electronic devices that control functions that are currently mechanical. Consumers will eventually see the flow of this electronic technology, developed for hybrid and electric vehicles, spilling over into conventional designs. Stop-start technology is a good example of this. While the gas-saving technique can be used on conventional vehicle designs, it has found a niche in electric and hybrid vehicles as an energy-saving device. Consumers should expect to see stop-start incorporated into conventional vehicles in the next few years.

It also seems likely that automotive engineers will make better used of supercapacitors to provide a ready power source for fuel-hogging accessories, and accessories that drain the batteries quickly. In many cases, supercapacitor designs can also be adapted for use in conventional vehicles, with the primary goal being improved fuel efficiency.

Automotive electronics will be at the center of the fight for improved fuel economy and the prime beneficiary will be the consumer.

Photo Credit: Sundeip Arora