23 avril 2007
Valeo research program for emissions reduction to receive significant funding from French Industrial Innovation Agency
Paris, France, March 5, 2007 - Valeo today announced that the French Industrial Innovation Agency (Agence de l’Innovation Industrielle, AII) has agreed to provide 61 million euros in funding for its research program LOwCO2MOTION™, which aims to improve vehicle engine efficiency and contribute to reducing CO2 emissions.
Thierry Morin, Valeo Chairman & CEO, commented: “This funding recognizes the value of the work that Valeo engineers have been undertaking in this field for several years and will allow us to offer the market new solutions that can provide up to 30% fuel savings with a significant reduction in CO2 and pollutant emissions.”
The program focuses on two major innovations. The first is the camless system, in which the camshaft in engines is replaced by electromagnetic actuators that operate each valve independently. By controlling residual gases, minimizing pumping losses and deactivating cylinders and valves, this technology reduces fuel consumption and pollutant emissions by 20% for gasoline engines. It also provides enhanced performance and driving comfort due to an increase in low-end engine torque. A version for diesel engines will also be developed.
The second major innovation, totally compatible with the camless system, is a next-generation mild hybrid based on Valeo’s StARS+X technology. In addition to the Start-Stop function which cuts off the engine when the vehicle is at a standstill, this system features a regenerative braking function, where energy generated during braking is recovered. The program includes the development of a new high-efficiency, high-power alternator technology as well as ultracapacitors, enabling a 10 to 15 % reduction in fuel consumption. These innovations will be enabled by new mechatronic technologies which are also part of the program
The LOwCO2MOTION™ program represents a total investment of 212 million euros over a four-year period. The AII funding is subject to the approval of the European Commission.
For more information, contact:
Remy Dumoulin
Investor Relations Director
Tel.: +33 1 40 55 29 30
Kate Philipps
Communications Director
Tel.: +33 1 40 55 20 65
06 mars 2007
CVT, A New Favorite on Automotive Market
source： China AutoMotive News
"Continuously Variable Transmission (CVThttp://english.cnautonews.com/) is the ideal vehicle transmission device and is the development direction of automobile transmissions. There will be no problems in widely promoting this transmission," Zhou Youqiang, the director of the CVT committee of the Chinese Mechanical Engineering Society, told our correspondent.
In 2006, many car models with CVT technology emerged on the automobile market, including the Guangzhou Honda Fit 06, Dongfeng Nissan Sylphy and the new version Nissan Teana. CVT technology has begun to be recognized and desired by consumers. In three months, sales of the Sylphy CVT hit 13,000 units.
In this article, we will take a look at the advantages of CVT technology and the prospects for its development.
Driving comfort and energy efficiency are obvious advantages of CVT technology
Industry experts have said that the CVT and traditional automatic transmission are different in the way the gear mechanism operates. The most common type of CVT operates on an ingenious pulley system that allows an infinite variability between highest and lowest gears with no discrete steps or shifts. This eliminates the impact caused by shift changing and transmission torque and greatly enhances driving comfort.
Vehicles mainly use three kinds of transmission: manual gearbox transmission (MT), automatic transmission (AT) and continuously variable transmission (CVT). MT models are more convenient when driving in urban areas but have higher fuel consumption. CVT is able to solve the high fuel consumption problem. Zhou Youqiang told our correspondent that the fuel consumption of CVT vehicles is the same as MT models and quite significantly lower than AT models. It has the possibility of being further reduced. He explained that CVT ensures the best torque while driving so as to maintain the vehicle's fuel economy. Date shows that the fuel consumption of a CVT model is 15% less than a conventional automatic transmission model.
CVT vehicle models gradually increase
Because of the outstanding performance in driving comfort and energy efficiency, many world-class automobile enterprises have shifted their production to CVT vehicle models, such as Audi, Ford, Nissan and others. Meanwhile, domestic CVT models are also being introduced. Audi, Dongfeng Nissan Sylphy, the new version Teana, Guangzhou Honda Fit have also adopted CVT technology in some of their models.
Nissan began promoting the use of CVT technology in 1992. Currently, it has CVT technology included in some of its 1.5L~3.5L engines and is at the forefront of CVT development. Dongfeng Nissan's new version Teana, which was launched in April 2006, was equipped with a CVT in its 3.5L engine. CVT was also equipped in three models of Nissan's Sylphy 2.0L. CVT technology has quickly become a big selling point for the new Teana and Sylphy.
CVT technology is still in its initial stage
Some experts believe that with the continuous price reduction of CVT technology, CVT is sure to become the development direction for automobile transmissions. However, CVT technology is still in its initial stages of development and has a long way to go before it reaches large-scale adoption.
Xu Xiangyang, deputy director of the Automotive Engineering Department of Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, believes the biggest problem surrounding CVT technology is its low transmission efficiency. He said CVT technology has achieved considerable progress, but the shortcomings, such as the vulnerability of the conveyor belt and inability to bear heavy loads, have not been completely resolved. CVT technology is still unable to meet the requirements of large-capacity vehicles. In addition, high maintenance costs and difficulties also restrict large-scale promotion of CVT technology.
The domestic CVT industry is in its initial stages. Zhou Youqiang pointed out that CVT products equipped in many domestic vehicles are imported even though a number of domestic CVT enterprises are conducting research on it. He said that the Luoyang Sanning Industry Co. and Hunan Rongda Auto-electronic Technology Co. have produced their own CVT samples but it a long way away from achieving industrialization because the core components are entirely dependent on imports.
The Secretary-general of the China Gear Manufacturers Association, Wang Shengtang, recently told our correspondent that in the future the gear industry will focus on the development of automatic transmissions. The association has drawn up a general development plan, "giving priority to the development of CVT and AMT, developing DCT at the proper time and producing AT at the proper time." Domestic enterprises are expected to achieve greater breakthroughs in CVT development, said Wang Shengtang confidently.