Porsche's Gt2 Breathes Easier with Wave
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Q3, 2008 RicaRdo QuaRteRly Review Ricardo’s stroke of genius: 2/4SIGHT demonstrates 27 per cent fuel saving Niche manufacturing: Ricardo precision production for road and race Interviews: Lewis Booth, Ford of Europe Bastien Schupp & Gaelle Le Grouiec, Infiniti Europe PoRsche’s Gt2 breathes easier with WAVe Why raising the bar on performance need not necessarily mean increasing fuel consumption ALTERNATIVE THINKING ABOUT COMPUTER MODELING AND SIMULATION To achieve precise simulations, sharpen your tools. Alternative thinking is realizing that advanced simulations are impossible HP BladeSystem Enclosures without advanced tools. 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To learn more, visit www.hp.com/go/optimize-cae www.ricardo.com © 2008 Hewlett-Packard Development Company contents Ricardo Quarterly Review Q3, 2008 08 24 15 news features 04 Industry news 08 Switching cycles Electric cars approach production reality; Porsche’s first dual CO2 savings of 27 per cent are promised as Ricardo’s clutch transmission; Honda solves super-sports bike ABS remarkable 2/4SIGHT engine switches between two- and dilemma; Mazda maps out future fuel-saving strategy four-stroke operation. Anthony Smith lifts the lid on a key new technology 24 Ricardo news New upgrade for WMIK; eAMT demonstrates next-generation 15 Porsche profits from WAVE transmission technology; low carbon vehicle initiatives The Stuttgart sportscar maker’s iconic 911 GT2 gains yet announced and new advisory board for RSC more power and torque, but with no increase in consumption. Porsche’s Dr-Ing L Theilemann explains how it was done using questions and answers Ricardo’s WAVE software 06 Infiniti Europe 21 Made to measure Does Europe need another premium brand? Tony Lewin Ricardo is best known for its R&D, but it also manufactures questions the Nissan prestige marque’s top marketing powertrain products in its own right. As Anthony Smith executives Bastien Schupp and Gaelle le Grouiec reports, these range from prototype parts to series components for road and racetrack 18 Ford Lewis Booth has overseen a dramatic turnaround in Ford’s European business. Tony Lewin asks him about CO2, Volvo, Jaguar, and the prospects for Ford’s global operations Head office: Conceived and produced for Ricardo by: Ricardo plc, Shoreham-by-Sea, TwoTone Media Ltd West Sussex, BN43 5FG, Editor: Tony Lewin United Kingdom Contributors: Tel: +44 (0)1273 455611 Mark Roberts, Anthony Smith, Ricardo contacts and locations: Dr-Ing L Theilemann www.ricardo.com/contacts TwoTone Media Ltd contacts: RQ subscriptions: www.ricardo.com/rq Anthony Smith: [email protected] Sales enquiries: [email protected] Tony Lewin: [email protected] industry News Nissan’s battery-powered Denki cube will Electric cars be used in a 2010 field trial in the US poised for production reality alf of all drivers would be interested Hin buying an electric car for urban traffic, while more than one in three would choose a hybrid, with two thirds of all motorists majoring on short journeys. The survey of 8000 motorists in eight countries, conducted by leading supplier Continental Automotive, reveals a decisive shift in buyer opinion in the wake of rising fuel prices and alliance is with Panasonic Matsushita, battery programmes, no automaker growing environmental concern. which has said it will build two new partnerships have yet been announced The results come amid a flurry battery factories for the purpose. In California, Fisker Automotive has of announcements from leading GM has yet to confirm a battery said it is still on track for late-2009 automakers and suppliers about battery supplier for the Volt – both Continental deliveries of its Karma plug-in hybrid and electric vehicle programmes, and Compact Power LG have been electric luxury sedan, and Tesla has prompting analysts for the first time to awarded development contracts – and begun exports to Europe of its Lotus- predict significant future market shares while Bosch, Samsung and Magna based high-performance two-seater for battery-powered models. Steyr have all revealed lithium-ion battery-powered roadster. Renault-Nissan, which has vowed Momentum is to make itself world leader in zero- building behind emission vehicles, and which has fuel cell hybrid recently announced EV partnerships vehicles, too, with in Israel and Denmark for 2011, has Renault showing a now added Portugal to its list of EV hydrogen-powered schemes. The lithium-ion Kangoo Scenic, Toyota will have a range of 160 km and the doubling the range performance of a 1.6 litre combustion- of its fuel cell engined equivalent. Battery partner research vehicle to NEC is gearing up for an initial volume 830 km, and Honda of 13,000 units a year, with US and commencing limited Japanese deliveries beginning in 2010. production of its Daimler has committed its Smart FCX Clarity sedan. microcar brand to the 2010 launch of an electric ForTwo, and will be first to Porsche’s first market with Continental-JCI supplied lithium-ion batteries in a hybrid S-Class double clutch early next year. BMW has confirmed it Porsche, which pioneered the is working on an electric Mini, initially PDK double clutch transmission for California. in endurance racing two decades ago, has finally released its first PSA Peugeot Citroën has teamed up roadgoing DCT, on a new version with Mitsubishi and battery maker GS of its iconic 911 Carrera sports car. Yuasa for an electric small car within Replacing the previous Tiptronic S two years, and Volkswagen (working automatic, the seven-speed PDK with Sanyo) and GM Chevrolet promise transmission has twin multiplate wet clutches 2011 and 2010 for their Up minicar and offers a variety of manual modes as well as and Volt model respectively. Toyota’s launch control and fully automatic operation. VGT turbo will withstand EGR Diesel better than hybrid Hybrid module production Diesel share may have peaked BorgWarner has developed a Current hybrids offer no German transmissions specialist The diesel boom in Germany is new compressor wheel coating significant CO2 savings over an ZF will shortly begin manufacture past its peak, says a study by the to allow variable geometry equivalent diesel, says website of hybrid modules destined for Center for Automotive Research. turbochargers to withstand the cleangreencars.co.uk. Three a variety of European models. Rising diesel costs and improving harsh environment created by the hybrids – a Prius, a Lexus GS The company expects to ramp gasoline engines will cause exhaust gas recirculation needed and a Honda Civic – were each up production of the units –which diesel’s share to fall from today’s News in brief for low NOx emissions. matched or beaten by diesels. span the 10 to 100 kW range. 48 per cent to 30 per cent in 2020. 4 RICARdo QUARteRLY Review • Q3, 2008 RicaRdo Brake by wire QuaRteRly for super-sports bikes Review The task of RQ is to highlight the latest thinking onventional in automotive engineering and technology worldwide – both within Ricardo and among Cantilock brakes other leading companies. By presenting have been hard to an up-to-date mix of news, profiles and implement on super- interviews with top business leaders we paint sports motorcycles an interesting and exciting picture of R&D activity at a world-class automotive engineering because of their services provider. short wheelbase It is a formula that has certainly been a hit with and tendency to the worldwide automotive community: in the pitch under heavy seven years since RQ was launched we have had to increase our print run to 14,000 copies braking. Now Honda to keep pace with the demand to read about has taken advantage Ricardo and its activities. of the low mass and Client confidentiality is of the utmost high controllability of brake-by-wire Honda claims the combined brake importance to Ricardo, which means that we can only report on a small fraction of the systems to offer linked front-rear system is also able to improve balance work carried out by the company. So we are ABS braking for top performance and allow uninterrupted cornering especially grateful to those Ricardo customers motorcycles. and sports performance. A further who have kindly agreed to co-operate with RQ The new combined braking system advantage, says Honda, is that the and allow their programmes to be highlighted in print: without such help from customers has direct motor control of the twin system is divided into several small it would not be possible to present such a front and single rear brakes, advanced units, meaning that the mass can be fascinating insight into the way vehicles are electronics being able to measure more easily concentrated at the centre conceived and developed. the rider’s pressure on the handlebar of gravity of the bike. brake lever and foot pedal to achieve The new CBR 1000 Fireblade (above) Engines of the year the optimum balance between braking is the type of super-sports bike that could BMW scooped six out of the dozen 2008 forces on the front and rear wheels. use Honda’s new by-wire combined Engine of the Year awards, decided by As well as preventing wheel lock, braking system.