WardsAuto has named the 2016 Hyundai Sonata Plug-In Hybrid’s powertrain to its list of 10 Best Engines. As the first plug-in hybrid to make the list, WardsAuto World Editor-in-Chief Drew Winter praises Hyundai engineers for their “impeccable job blending fuel efficiency with refinement and daily usability.” Wards notes the car’s smooth transitions between electric and hybrid modes, and a well-connected six-speed automatic transmission. Other electrified vehicles to make the list are the 2016 Chevrolet Volt and 2016 Toyota Prius. Read more from Hyundai, at Green Car Reports.
FEV’s plug-in hybrid battery pack has gone into vehicle series production. The 10-kWh battery pack, developed by the German development services provider, offers an all-electric range of about 30 miles. FEV says its battery management algorithms are just as important as choosing the right battery hardware. “The core system for the battery development is our own mature battery management system (BMS), now in its third generation, that together with optimized algorithms allows a very reliable and stable control of the battery,” says FEV’s Dr. Michael Stapelbroek. Read more at Green Car Congress, or in the press release from FEV below.
FEV development competence consists of batteries, controls, as well as complete drive systems
FEV has demonstrated competence in the development of alternative drive concepts for almost twenty years. Most recently, yet another plug-in hybrid vehicle has gone into series production with technology provided by the Aachen-based developer. In addition to using an innovative transmission concept which is based on a FEV patent, FEV also developed the battery technology of the plug-in hybrid vehicle to series production readiness. This cost-effective and reliable battery pack offers a capacity of 10 kWh and yields a pure- electric range of about 50 kilometres (30 miles). FEV was responsible as a turn-key partner for the development of the battery hardware and software, throughout the development of the overall concept, as well as for testing and validation. “We intentionally combined FEV’s own developments with existing technologies of renowned tier 1 suppliers,” explains Professor Stefan Pischinger, President and CEO of the FEV Group. “Thanks to decades of experience and a comprehensive benchmark database we were able to develop a needs-based technology pack with excellent series production readiness.”
Experienced development partner
FEV has been operating its own electric vehicle fleet since 2010. The experience with this fleet and the comprehensive vehicle and battery measurement data which is continuously sent to an FEV server via mobile communication still represent key elements that are used in today’s development of alternative drives. In addition to about 65 electrified powertrain development projects, FEV has successfully completed about 20 battery projects over the past few years. In these projects, batteries were developed for nearly any kind of drive: whether it be water-cooled high performance plug-in hybrid battery or passively cooled pack for pure electric vehicles. “Our spectrum of competence consists of every phase of development, from the concept work and development of modules and battery packs to the manufacturing and testing of the battery and, eventually, the integration and certification for series production,” says Dr. Michael Stapelbroek, Department Manager Hybrid and E-Mobility at FEV.
Mature battery management system
The quality of battery management system algorithms has as much influence on performance as the selection of suitable battery cells and an optimized layout of the overall battery. “The core system for the battery development is our own mature battery management system (BMS), now in its third generation, that together with optimized algorithms allows a very reliable and stable control of the battery,” explains Dr. Stapelbroek. Thanks to its use in a variety of projects, the system is highly mature and very flexible with the capability to accommodate any battery concept. The BMS consists of a central control system, a master circuit board, and one decentralized measurement unit for each battery module, the slave circuit board. Furthermore, the BMS itself can comply with the safety standard ASIL-D as specified in ISO26262. The BMS was developed according to all of the current and common automotive standards (e.g., AUTOSAR and CMMI), and is well cost-optimized, particularly with regard to future series production applications.
Test facilities for batteries and complete drives
FEV has several cell and battery test benches worldwide for the testing and validation of developed battery packs as well as experience with series production testing for several well-known manufacturers, allowing FEV to be recognized as an internationally-operating engineering company that can guarantee a high degree of quality and series production readiness in its engineering developments. “Our additional test benches for hybrid powertrains are important tools for not only powertrain development, but also for the evaluation of battery performance in the overall drive system,” explains Stapelbroek.
