Objective
- To demonstrate the actual fuel savings achieved by cars light vans in service using an innovative integrated driveline consisting of a traction drive Infinitely Variable Transmission (IVT) integrated with an optimised petrol engine.
- To demonstrate customer acceptability of the new driveline in service;
- To demonstrate that this integrated driveline not only saves energy but reduces harmful exhaust emissions;
- To expose the transmission to a wide range of operational and potential abuse conditions;
- To raise the confidence level in the product so that production is more likely to occur;
- To support the case for energy saving projections.
The principal Target to demonstrate 15% fuel savings was met. The actual measured results are reported in the confidential annex to the Final Technical Report. In summary, while European stage 2 results fell short of legal levels, due mainly to high NOx results, the tests demonstrated fuel economy improvements. On the European drive cycle the improvement was 17% compared to a CD4E automatic Mondeo (~15% compared to a manual transmission vehicle) together with commercial level of derivability with the following exceptions.
- Transmission performance under braking, and at low temperatures was unacceptable on these prototype transmissions.
- Calibration works to achieve the emissions targets were curtailed for reasons as outlines below.
On the FTP cycle (USA Federal Test Cycle) the cars were able to demonstrate a fuel saving of 21% but again would require further emission development.
One of the many benefits of the Torotrak IVT is that the engine can be prevented from running in area's of the performance curve that impose restrictions on the tune parameters of the engine thereby allowing further engine optimisation. A partially optimised petrol engine was built and tested on a dynamometer. A validated computer prediction showed (based on verified computer simulation of the data) that a further 4% additional fuel economy could be achieved for the same emissions performance on the European fuel economy drive cycle. It is believed that further investigation in this area could lead to additional fuel savings.
Further work will continue, and a number of studies have been identified which, by coupling an IVT to a marginally modified engine, have the potential of lowering the levels of all emissions, well within the projected international legislative requirements. New thinking regarding engine developments (based upon current technologies) indicate that the IVT-engine combination could achieve substantial reductions in emissions. This could have very attractive cost benefits for OEMs. This study is part of Torotrak's future R&D programme.
The Torotrak IVT technology is fully replicable, and would lead to a substantial energy saving if applied widely throughout the EC. It is safely estimated that a minimum of 15% less fuel would be used in passenger cars using this technology. Further replication is practicable in urban commercial vehicles where additional technologies like regenerative braking are easier to apply.
In the original submission in 1993 it was projected that a 15% fuel saving applied to 25% of EC cars and vans would result in a saving of 5 million tonnes of fuel oil per year. If the global trend to the greater use of automatics were to continue this projected saving could be seen as conservative.
At the start of the project the opportunities foe the Torotrak IVT were far from defined and it was the purpose of the Thermie project to demonstrate the potential of the technology as a fuel saver. The fact that the project did not achieve its stated aims, although disappointing, has not prevented a far better understanding of how an IVT powertrain will benefit the automotive industry and its customers. In that regard the project has been a success.
When the project started in 1993 there were no licenses for the Torotrak technology. In 1994 Ford signed a licence enabling the unfettered transfer of confidential information from Torotrak to Ford to the benefit of the project. Since 1994 six other companies have signed licences with Torotrak.
The project was focussed upon the bringing together of an innovative transmission (by Torotrak) and a standard (albeit modified) internal combustion engine (by Ford). The Torotrak transmission, unlike all other transmission systems in cars, does not have a separate starting mechanism and is therefore at all times connected to the engine, including the condition when the driven wheels are stationary and the engine is rotating. The exclusion of a separate starting device (such a torque converter or starting clutch) offers two advantages, firstly it removes an energy inefficient component from the powertrain and secondly it allows the engine and transmission to operate under full-time computer control. This control ability allows the engine to operate at best conditions at all times.
Because the Torotrak transmission operates under torque control, it enables the 'stand-still' condition to be controlled stablely and safety. The variator at the heart of the transmission is also used in "2 sweeps" which allows the transmission to have a full continuous range of ratios from full reverse to very high overdrive, equivalent to 10th gear in a conventional transmission. This ability is not artificial, in that it allows the engine to operate at low speed whist still producing the required power with greatest fuel economy. All the advantages of the Torotrak Infinite Variable Transmission add up to create a powertrain that can improve fuel economy by over 20% when compared to current automatics. The technology offers a whole generation of improvements, both environmentally and quality of product/drive.
In recent years there has been a growing awareness of the dangers introduced by the pollutants of modern society, particularly those arising from industry, power generation and transport. Significant amongst these is CO2, whereby concentrations of the gas in the upper atmosphere is causing an average rise in the mean ambient temperature at sea-level- know as greenhouse warming. If this is left unchecked then there are some very worrying scenarios about what might result in just a few decades time.
There is currently a great deal of international pressure to put in controls which aim to halt the rising levels of CO2 emissions and then gradually see their reduction. However, the only way to reduce CO2 (in transport) is to reduce fuel consumption also extends the life availability of fossil fuels, despite the continuing increase in world vehicle parc.
The Torotrak IVT applied to car (and other vehicles) powertrains demonstrates a 20% fuel savings compared to current vehicles and is therefore capable, as a single technology, to bridge the gap between the 'current' and the 'projected' CO2 levels. Importantly the technology does not require a major technological shift between what currently exists and what is proposed, i.e. next generation engines will be evolutionary derivatives of current systems and the IVT contains much of what is currently used. This contrasts with other technologies such as electric cars and fuel cells. In both cases there are major changes requiring huge new production investments and infrastructure support. Also what ever the cleanliness of the car, the power has still to be produced somewhere.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
This project has not yet been classified with EuroSciVoc.
Be the first one to suggest relevant scientific fields and help us improve our classification service
You need to log in or register to use this function
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Data not available
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Coordinator
EC4M75B London
United Kingdom
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.