Ford, Schaeffler and Continental are working together to electrify the powertrain. In 2014, they put the Gasoline Technology Car I (GTC I) on the wheels: a Ford Focus upgraded to a mild hybrid with a belt-driven starter generator and 48-volt technology. The electrical component supports the combustion engine when boosting, enables electric sailing and recovers energy when braking. In this way, a consumption advantage of 1,0 percent was achieved compared to the standard model with a 17-liter turbo, and CO2 emissions were reduced to 95 grams per kilometer. This so-called 48-volt P0 technology is currently going into series production with the new Renault Scénic, but the researchers are already working flat out on the next stage of expansion: the Gasoline Technology Car II now presented with P2 architecture releases another ten grams less greenhouse gas.
In order to report further success in the fight against CO2 emissions, Ford, Schaeffler and Continental have made extensive optimizations to the 48-volt architecture. The development trio still relies on a belt-driven starter generator, but it has changed its place and is now located between the combustion engine and the transmission. With an additional clutch in front of the belt drive, the petrol engine can be completely uncoupled and switched off when not in use. The advantage: unlike its predecessor, the GTC II drives purely electrically. The Focus does not become the right electric car, the battery capacity of just 0,46 kilowatt hours is too low and the performance of the 11 kW motor is not enough. However, the mild hybrid can keep the pace electrically constant, especially in city traffic, and the combustion engine is not absolutely necessary even in stop-and-go operation and in so-called creeping maneuvers (e.g. parking).
The technicians were able to experience what this means in practice in a typical 30s zone: around 85 percent of the way can be covered with the prototype without burning a drop of gasoline. And even in the typical after-work traffic jam in the city, the petrol engine stayed away for minutes. To ensure that as much energy as possible is available for electrical operation, the electric motor also performs recuperation in the GTC II in addition to its drive function. By uncoupling the gasoline engine, this could be significantly improved since the drag torque of the petrol engine is eliminated.
Expressed in numbers, this means: more than 25 percent less fuel consumption than the conventional comparison focus. However, the savings are not entirely due to the new 48-volt P2 system. Continental and Schaeffler have also further optimized the combustion engine: the compression has been increased, the intake camshaft modified and a new turbocharger installed. That alone ensures almost four percent less consumption in the European measuring cycle. Additional savings are also made by a new, electrically heated catalytic converter that also uses the 48-volt power grid. And the now electric water pump, which was previously attached to the belt drive, offers a little saving potential. The air conditioning compressor, on the other hand, is still driven by the belt and has therefore moved with the generator unit - an electrical solution would simply be too expensive. Especially in a vehicle like the Ford Focus.
That is the approach that Schaeffler, Continental and Ford are pursuing: to create an affordable electrification solution for small cars and the compact class that can be integrated relatively easily. The additional space required in the engine compartment is a few centimeters and the battery and control unit are not much larger than a toaster. This mild hybrid solution also works with a more or less classic manual transmission. The GTC II uses Schaeffler's newly developed e-clutch, in which an actuator opens and closes the clutch; this is necessary to be able to automatically disconnect the drive, for example when sailing. An expensive automatic transmission like the previous hybrid versions is not necessary. The price of such a solution could therefore be a few thousand euros.
However, a little bit of development work is required before it goes into series production. For example, it still takes too long for the combustion engine to be ready for use again after it has been operated purely electrically, which the driver notices. From 2020, however, the engineers are certain that the system could be available to the customer - whether it will also come from Ford is still open. (Michael Gebhardt / SP-X)