The Ricardo View
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
Materials to awaken the senses Styling, texture and finish – elements that define a vehicle’s identity. Materials from Huntsman Polyurethanes evoke a sense of quality and individuality, creating some of the industry’s most innovative interiors. For our latest free guide to automotive polyurethane applications, e-mail [email protected] TECHNOLOGY YOU CAN BE COMFORTABLE WITH www.huntsmanpolyurethanes.com Polyurethane systems for: ɀ acoustic management ɀ body components ɀ seating ɀ steering wheels ɀ interior trim ɀ underbonnet components BRUSSELS • DETROIT • SINGAPORE contents 18 Winter 2001/2002 8 6 14 NEWS FEATURES QUESTIONS & ANSWERS Industry update 4 Record run with Volkswagen 6 A telematics viewpoint 13 European cars get heavier as American A W12 engine in a purpose-built, mid- In reply to Rob Golding’s analysis of the cars shed weight, MG’s X80 will have a engined, speed-record car powered future for telematics, Don Newton, director superplastic aluminium skin, rubber Volkswagen to a proud entry in the of Control and Electronics at Ricardo, gives revolutions in cereal-filled tyres and Guinness Book of Records. It lapped Italy’s his view lightweight components, drive-by-wire Nardo circuit for 24 hours at over 300km/h – databuses move forward, sulphur-free fuel and put its six-speed Ricardo transmission Jean-Martin Folz 18 call for Europe by 2008. Plus a message to a gruelling test. Tony Lewin reports The chief executive officer of PSA Peugeot from Ricardo chief executive Rodney Citroën, the fastest-growing carmaker in the Westhead Telematics: the way ahead 8 auto industry, talks to Tony Lewin about The possibilities for information, his company’s policy of independent News from Ricardo 20 communication and entertainment are vast ownership and selective co-operation with DEPE consortium creates a new online – and so are the profit opportunities. Rob other carmakers. It seems to be working experimentation guide, Ricardo Inc is to Golding gives a glimpse of what the build a new Detroit Technology Campus, telematics revolution has in store Reynard Le Mans racer has a new transmission, India’s largest motorcycle Proud to be in Prague 14 maker uses Ricardo software, Hummer H2 Ricardo opened an engineering centre in gets engineering support from Ricardo. And the Czech Republic in 2000. Anthony a run-down of the company’s record Lewis meets the key players, who have financial results some pioneering tales to tell Editor: John Simister Sales enquiries Design editor: Paul Bale at Visual Image UK: +44 (0) 1273 455611 Editorial director: Tony Lewin USA: +1 (734) 397 6666 Germany: +49 (0) 711 806082-20 Czech Republic: +42 0296331150 Ricardo marketing team Business development: [email protected] Marketing manager: Anthony Smith Head office: Ricardo plc, Bridge Works, Shoreham-by-Sea, +44 (0) 1273 794460, [email protected] West Sussex BN43 5FG, United Kingdom Winter 2001/2002 Ricardo Quarterly Review 3 G in brief European cars gain weight Market is ready for intelligent chips while Americans diet Alcatel Microelectronics has launched a new transceiver PERCEPTIONS of American cars as with an intelligent microcon- oversize and overweight are out of date, troller embedded in its own says a report in Automotive Environment circuitry. The V1.2 local inter- Analyst. Paul Nieuwenhuis and Peter Wells at Cardiff University’s Centre for connect network (LIN) chip Automotive Industry Research tracked the will suit new single-wire data- weights of various European and bus technology, and can American car ranges since 1965, and dis- work with 42-volt as well as covered that while European cars have 12-volt systems. Alcatel esti- put on a lot of weight, American cars have tended In Europe, the improvement in engine efficiency mates that from 2003 at to become leaner. has been offset by major weight gains, but the least three LIN nodes will be Striking examples include the Ford Cortina and swing towards diesels has improved the CO2 pic- installed in new cars. Mondeo, 815kg and 1320kg respectively, and the ture in partial compensation. As model ranges Lincoln Continental, down from 2330kg to 1760kg. have moved upmarket and gained weight, main- Bosch predicts 50 per The energy crisis of 1973 was clearly a major stream carmakers have added lighter models cent GDI by 2007 impetus, because the steepest weight drop was beneath them – but this hasn’t happened with pre- Industry’s pledge to reduce between 1975 and 1985. However, little weight has mium brands. The exception is the all-aluminium been put back on since then thanks to CAFE Audi A2, but at 895kg it’s barely lighter than steel- average CO2 emissions to 140g/km by 2008 will accel- (Corporate Average Fuel Economy) regulations. bodied mainstream equivalents. erate acceptance of petrol Recent gentle rises are the result of fuel efficiency Despite similar weights, American cars of the direct injection, says Bosch. improvements without concurrent tightening of 1960s were rather larger than modern European Combining the technology CAFE rules. cars. Modern cars are ‘denser’, thanks more to major increases in equipment and safety with turbocharging will bring features than to bare bodyshell weight. further efficiency improve- Huge increases in engine efficiency have ments, because GDI can been partially diverted into enhanced fea- reduce the excess NOx pro- tures instead of fuel economy. The US’s duction that can be a prob- 1970s weight savings were easy to achieve, lem in turbo engines. mainly by abandoning the separate chassis frame, but the further reductions needed to Hitachi develops fully reach the Kyoto Agreement targets for CO2 electric brakes emissions will be harder work. Either there Hitachi plus affiliated Unisia must be radical powertrain and materials Jecs, Tokiko and Hitachi changes, or customers must be weaned off Cable is developing an the features they now expect. entirely electric braking sys- tem which uses motors to apply braking pressure. It will increase control possibilities and ease assembly through MG Rover to the elimination of hydraulic parts. Delphi is working on a similar system. use superplastic MEPs renew call for aluminium motorcycle emission limits The European Parliament’s for X80 environment committee MG’s new Ford V8-powered themselves to complex shapes. produce an excellent surface wants binding motorcycle sports coupé, codenamed X80, Production cycle times vary finish. emissions limits for 2006 to developed from the Qvale between 20 and 60 minutes, but The materials supplier claims build on those set for 2003. It Mangusta programme which MG two parts can be made from the to be able to move from receipt believes this will give certain- Rover now owns, will use same tool – itself produced of enquiry to production in just ty to manufacturers, whose superplastic aluminium skin directly from CAD models using eight to 12 weeks. The X80 will products currently emit a dis- panels. five-axis milling. This is a cheaper be unveiled in summer 2002, proportionate amount of pol- Such panels, formed at 450- process than producing a pair of with production starting around lutants compared to their use 500 degC with a single-surface matched dies, and the tools the end of the year at MG tool using air pressure and cavity- suffer less wear and tear during Rover’s Longbridge factory. A relative to other vehicles. forming techniques, lend the forming process. They also roadster version follows in 2003. 4 NEWS FROM AW PUBLICATIONS Ricardo Quarterly Review Winter 2001/2002 Rubber-based revolutions MEPs call for ‘sulphur-free’ fuel under way by 2008 THE European Parliament’s environ- JAPANESE rubber component manufacturer ment committee is seeking to bring the Miyasaka Rubber has developed a new ultra- adoption of so-called sulphur-free gaso- lightweight rubber with a specific gravity of line and diesel fuel (ie no more than 10 0.98, which is 15-20 per cent lighter than parts per million of sulphur) forward existing materials. This rubber has many auto- from 2011 to 2008. motive applications other than in a hot engine- That original date was set as a bal- bay environment, and apart from tyres the ance between the increased refinery new material reportedly can satisfy a quarter emissions of CO2 resulting from sul- of an average car’s rubber needs. phur’s removal and the consequent And Goodyear’s GT3 BioTRED tyre, reductions in vehicle emissions. The launched last summer, has now been move arises from Germany’s incentive approved by BMW for fitment to an economy schemes to introduce sulphur-free fuel version of the 3-series, following Ford’s use of in 2003, and Switzerland (not an EU it in an economy edition of the outgoing country) in 2004, thus hastening the Fiesta. The BioTRED uses starch extracted pace of change. from maize as a filler material in place of a Meanwhile, as an interim strategy, proportion of the existing silicon and carbon Orbital of Australia and catalyst supplier black. It is turned into micro-droplets and then Johnson Matthey have devised an air- into a biopolymeric material. assisted direct-injection system and an The key advantages of BioTRED are lighter advanced three-way catalyst (instead of weight, which reduces unsprung weight which a lean NOx trap) which is not reliant on in turn improves ride and handling, and signifi- ultra-low sulphur fuel to meet future cantly lower rolling resistance. Fuel consump- These reductions, says Goodyear, equate to emissions limits, such as Euro 4. tion, compared with a regular Goodyear GT2, 17 per cent of the 25 per cent CO2 reduction The EC has announced plans to is cut by five per cent, and CO2 emissions are set by the EU to be reached in 2008. replace 20 per cent of EU consumption reduced by an average 7.5g/km through the Other gains are a halving of noise levels, of gasoline and diesel fuels with alter- lower rolling resistance and a further 0.2g/km wet braking improved by 10 per cent, and a native fuels – biofuels, natural gas, through the greener production process.