Electrification and hybridization

Electric vehicles still have a long way to go before they reach maturity. At present, all-electric vehicles can only be used for short distances due to their low range and the high cost of batteries. Hybrid vehicles, however, have a greater range, thanks to the combination of an IC engine and a battery. This means that the optimum operating mode (IC, electric or combined) can be chosen on the basis of the journey to be made. In urban environments, the vehicle can run in all-electric mode, for example, whereas for long distances, IC engines remain the most efficient solution. This is particularly true if the vehicle runs on a low-carbon fuel, such as natural gas, for instance.

Drawing on the experience gained in conventional powertrains, IFP Energies nouvelles is developing the technological building blocks that will enable manufacturers to develop the hybrid vehicles of the future.
Various degrees of hybridization are possible (stop&start, braking energy recovery, increase in engine torque, optimization of onboard energy management, plug in hybrid, etc.) depending on the vehicle range, the conditions of use and the level of performance sought. Among these various options, IFP Energies nouvelles has chosen to concentrate its efforts on rechargeable hybrid vehicles. This approach offers a prospective energy saving of 40% in comparison with conventional vehicles.

Research at IFP Energies nouvelles is focusing more broadly on optimizing the onboard energy management of a vehicle or fleet of vehicles. In particular, work is being conducted to incorporate the interaction between a vehicle and its environment, through the use of information and communication technologies.

Technical and economic challenges

Vehicle electrification still faces complex technical problems, such as energy storage, for example. The principal research avenues at IFP Energies nouvelles concern the architecture of new hybrid powertrains and their integration within the vehicle, digital simulation and the dimensioning of the various components, the electronic command of said components and onboard energy supervision.

Modeling plays a particularly important role in the development and optimization of combustion systems. The physical models used are validated using solid experimental databases, and are regularly enhanced through the implementation of investigation methods.

IFP Energies nouvelles also leverages the potential offered by Large-Eddy Simulation or LES to study flows, injection and combustion in gasoline engines. LES simulation offers unrivalled precision and reproduces transient behaviors more accurately.

Simulation is employed via a system approach for dimensioning and validating components or complete powertrains. It plays a crucial role in the reduction of development cycles. For example, as part of the HyHIL project, IFP Energies nouvelles has set up an experimental platform that makes it possible to reproduce and very quickly evaluate different complex architectures for hybrid vehicles. The high dynamics test bench is simply equipped with an IC engine, with all the other components (electric motor, transmission, battery, etc.) being simulated to a very high degree of accuracy. In this way, it is possible to quantify the performance of a hybrid powertrain prior to any experimentation on a vehicle. This HIL approach has also been applied to our battery test benches since 2010: the physical element is composed of the pack battery (or a battery cell) and the rest of the vehicle is entirely simulated.

Engine control is another central research theme at IFP Energies nouvelles. This uses calculation algorithms to optimize the operation of each component of a powertrain: IC engine, exhaust gas after-treatment system, electric motor, battery, etc. It also ensures supervision of all these components in order to guarantee the best level of performance in terms of energy management, operating safety and reliability. Engine control is involved at various stages in the development of a vehicle, from the first tests on a powertrain concept right through to the creation of a democar. Hybrid powertrains, reducing the fuel consumption and emissions of diesel and gasoline engines, and alternative fuels all create challenges for researchers working in this field.

Multiple partnerships

In order to address these challenges, IFP Energies nouvelles is working closely with other research institutes, particularly within the context of the Carnot Institutes, itself having been recognized as one since 2006 for its powertrain engineering activity.

It also participates in several competitiveness clusters, in particular Mov'eo in the automotive sector and LUTB in the heavy-duty truck sector. Finally, in the context of the Investment for the Future government-backed spending program, IFP Energies nouvelles is leading a themed excellence institute project in the Île-de-France region, dubbed VeDeCoM , aimed at facilitating the marketing of smart and communicating vehicles by pooling research and industrial efforts.
IFP Energies nouvelles is participating in a number of demonstrator projects resulting from Ademe calls for interest, such as Velroue (with Renault and Michelin), Hydole (with the CEA, EDF, Freescale, Leroy Somer and PSA Peugeot Citroën) or Tigre (led by Renault Trucks).
In addition, it forges strategic long-term partnerships. This is the case with PSA Peugeot Citroën and Renault (upstream research on internal combustion engines), LMS (software), D2T (powertrain engineering and testing equipment), and, more recently, Valeo (framework agreement signed in 2010 in the field of internal combustion and hybrid and electric powertrains).
Finally, it is supported by its subsidiary D2T in its quest to identify industrial outlets for its R&D work in the field of powertrain engineering and testing equipment.

+ Industrial development > engines > hybrid vehicles