Final testing has confirmed a 48V lead-carbon battery can help reduce fuel consumption by 10-12%– equivalent to sub-80g/km of CO2 emissions.
That puts the test vehicle well inside the current European Union agreed 95 g/km of CO2 limit, which will come into 100% affect by 2021.
The achievement is the result of a three-year ADEPT (advanced diesel-electric powertrain) project aimed at developing and proving the benefits of advanced mild-hybrid technologies with 48V ‘intelligent electrification’.
The team behind the project estimates the cost of implementing the system will be €60 per g/km CO2 reduction.
The project may prove to be a feather in the cap of the lead industry as it tries to dissuade automotive OEMS from moving to lithium-ion storage.
It also gives OEMS a viable and cheap option when developing vehicles with improved fuel economy and reduced carbon dioxide emissions, while still hitting affordability, performance and emissions targets.
The Adept project saw a Ford Focus fitted with the 48V powertrain architecture, which with appropriate fine-tuning of design and configuration, could be retrofitted to petrol or alternatively fuelled powertrains.
The ADEPT project is led by Ricardo and includes the Advanced Lead Acid Battery Consortium, Controlled Power Technologies, Faurecia Emissions Control Technologies UK Ltd, Ford Motor Company and the University of Nottingham.
Ricardo Innovations MD Thomas Gutwald, said: “The concept of ‘intelligent electrification’ is likely to enjoy mass-market appeal in the short to medium term, due to the fuel economy, performance and cost benefits that it brings.”
Alistair Davidson, of ALABC, added: “The excellent results of the ADEPT project clearly demonstrate that advanced lead-carbon batteries in 48V automotive applications are the most cost efficient way of meeting stringent future CO2 emission targets, when measured by the relevant test procedures for HEV operation.”
Full results of the project were presented at last month’s LCV2016 show, where the ADEPT vehicle was available for public ride and drives.
