DaimlerChrysler Board Member Dr. Thomas Weber:
Part1:
Groundbreaking concepts for drive systems, operation and comfort
Initial test results from the F 500 Mind, the mobile research lab
Efficient transfer of know-how from research to development
"DaimlerChrysler continues to view research and development that is geared towards the interests of customers as forming the very essence of its technological leadership." These were the words of Dr Thomas Weber, the DaimlerChrysler Board Member in charge of research and technology, whose remit was extended just a few months ago to include development within the Mercedes Car Group. The implementation of this new management structure at board level is designed to ensure that the results of research work are applied on the series-production development side even more swiftly and effectively in future.
"Around €15 million is invested every day in turning ideas into projects and products," stated Dr Weber at a DaimlerChrysler Research information event before presenting the initial test results from the F 500 Mind, a veritable mobile research lab. He said it was not just the firm that stood to profit from the wealth of ideas generated by its scientists and engineers, but also Germany as a whole in its role as an industrial location.
Featuring a hybrid drive unit, an infrared nightview system, a multivision display and a host of other ultra-sophisticated technologies, the research vehicle offers a look ahead to the automotive technology of tomorrow. "Each of these innovations represents the future of motoring in the making. The F 500 Mind is no fantasy show car, it is host to research projects with realistic prospects of entering series production," said Dr Weber.
Following the unveiling of the F 500 Mind at the Tokyo Motor Show in October last year, DaimlerChrysler research engineers staged a variety of test runs with the vehicle with the aim of investigating the day-to-day practicability and acceptability of the technical innovations. Their attentions were focused on the research car's hybrid drive system, consisting of a V8 diesel engine paired with an electric motor which produce a combined output of 234 kW and a total peak torque of 860 Newton metres. These figures make it the most powerful hybrid drive to be fitted in a rear-wheel-drive passenger car at the present time.
Hybrid drive returns fuel savings of as much as 20 percent in NEDC cycle
Practical research revealed both the benefits and drawbacks of the alternative drive technology. One of the plus points is the electronic load share apportionment between engine and electric motor: when driving in slow-moving stop-go traffic, pulling away or parking, the diesel engine is shut off and the F 500 Mind switches to purely electric drive. This allows fuel consumption to be cut by some 20 percent in the NEDC cycle. Just the ability to switch off the diesel engine when stopped at traffic lights and pull away again using the power from the electric motor represents a fuel saving of around ten percent. Automatic energy recovery during braking also comes into the equation, accounting for a further five to seven percent reduction.
However, researchers at DaimlerChrysler detected a discrepancy between theory and practice, as the fuel consumption figures for the NEDC test cycle and for testing under practical operating conditions did not tally. "The actual fuel consumption of the hybrid drive on longer interurban or motorway journeys is actually higher than with the standard Mercedes diesel model," reported Professor Herbert Kohler who heads up the vehicle body and drive research unit.
Road trials conducted by DaimlerChrysler have indicated that the hybrid drive's primary area of use will be for inner-city driving where the benefits offered by engine shut-off at traffic lights and energy recovery during frequent braking can be harnessed to the full.
Experts at DaimlerChrysler's research division will shortly be examining the assets of the hybrid system vis-à-vis a comparable diesel engine more closely with a view to defining the future application scenario for this drive alternative. "We are looking to fine tune the hybrid drive and deploy it in such a way that its benefits outweigh the tremendous technical effort involved. As a result of the practical tests that have been held so far, we now know that the diesel engine holds a greater overall potential for reducing fuel consumption and levels of CO2 emissions," Professor Herbert Kohler summed up.
The Stuttgart-based automotive firm is working towards the drive system of the future based on a five-stage approach. This approach is founded on systematic improvement of the conventional petrol and diesel engines, whilst also incorporating the use of new, environmentally compatible fuels and also devoting attention to the development of alternative drive concepts, such as hybrid technology and the fuel cell, which hold genuine potential for series production. DaimlerChrysler perceives the hybrid drive as a stepping-stone technology to bridge the gap between the internal combustion engine and the zero-emission, quiet-running fuel cell.
Highly promising practical research into new forms of driver assist systems
Another focal topic being researched with the assistance of the F 500 Mind is the development of innovative new assist systems for making the motorist's task an easier one. These include a nightview system which works with infrared laser light. At night or when visibility is poor, this system is capable of picking out parked cars or any other obstacles far earlier than is possible with conventional headlamps, heightening standards of safety still further.
"For us, this technology represents a further key contribution to reducing the risk of accidents when driving at night or in poor visibility, which is still high," commented Dr Thomas Weber. Using the F 500 Mind mobile research lab, scientists hope to test people’s willingness to use this system, and to mould it to the requirements of motorists. Such driver assist systems bring the experts at DaimlerChrysler ever closer to that ultimate goal, the vision of "accident-free driving".
information credits: Germancarfans.com