How FEV is helping engineer the future of the automotive industry

01_Looking for alternative fuels

FEV was the coordinator for the research project Methanol Standard. Now completed, the focus was to investigate the technical fundamentals needed for the European standardisation of methanol as a fuel. The results demonstrated that sustainably produced methanol constitutes a promising CO2-neutral alternative to fossil fuels in future mobility.

FEV contributed its experience and expertise as an engineering service provider for the transportation and energy sectors to the project. This included three-dimensional computational fluid dynamics simulations as well as the development of an adapted control technology for a single-cylinder engine used in the project. In addition, FEV provided support to complete vehicle tests by conducting cold start examinations. It was possible to prove that the engine of one of the project partners, which was operated with methanol, was still capable of starting at low temperatures.

From a technical point of view, existing injection systems can already be operated with methanol, but there is a need for development at the high injection pressures currently in use. Methanol can be mixed with conventional fuels at 15% as an additive (M15) but can also be used in pure form at 100% (M100).

The Methanol Standard project comprised a total of 17 research centres and associated partners. In addition to universities, research institutes, small and medium-sized enterprises, these also included globally active companies and well-known manufacturers from the automotive and commercial vehicle industries.

In parallel with the European research activities, the application of methanol with its high potential for reducing CO2 emissions is also being driven forward in large test fleets in China. To increase the visibility of this development and highlight the opportunities for methanol as an energy source and fuel, a standardisation group for M100 has been set up based on the findings.

From FEV perspective, the application fields for sustainable fuels vary in terms of their potential. “We rate the benefits in maritime propulsion, large construction or agricultural machinery, and locomotives very highly globally,” said Dr Schnorbus. “For passenger cars and smaller machines, on the other hand, we see their potential in Europe more in special applications.”

02_High-voltage discharge

FEV’s Partial Discharge – High Voltage X (PD-HVX) technology is an early detection and prevention of partial discharge (PD) in high-voltage electric drive units (EDUs). PD can cause damage to the insulation in modern EDUs, which can result in a total failure of the vehicle. FEVs PD-HVX uses well established measuring systems with specialized sensors, which are used in EDUs for qualitative measurement. This enables customers to identify partial discharge during the development phase and take the necessary action.

PD is a local electrical sparkover that can occur at high voltages above 600 volts. It is caused by extremely small defects or inhomogeneities in the insulation material or soiled surfaces. If it remains unnoticed within an EDU and occurs repeatedly, PD leads to gradual damage of the insulation and to a premature stop of the vehicle.

PD-HVX uses electromagnetic frequency analysis, one of the most precise and reliable measurement methods for the application field of electrical propulsion systems, to measure the electromagnetic fields around the drive unit to be analysed. The software then uses the measurement results to determine whether partial discharge occurs within the EDU during operation.

“PD has been known for a long time in the field of electrical systems engineering and high-voltage transmission networks, where corresponding tests are common practice,” said Dr Michael Stapelbroek, vice-president Electric Powertrain at FEV. “In the automotive sector, however, the phenomenon is just gaining focus with the increasing spread of 800-volt batteries. Thanks to our many years of expertise in the development of EDUs, with PD-HVX we can now offer our customers a dedicated solution for PD.”

The test equipment is optimised for EDU operation, filters out drive-related interference signals and enabling significantly better measurement results for PD. The customer subsequently receives the data obtained in the tests for evaluation and further interpretation.

“By detecting partial discharge in the EDU at an early stage, possible reasons for insulation damage in the electronics can be eliminated during the development process. This prevents delays due to premature vehicle failures and additional costs during development,” said Stapelbroek. 

03_Evaluating autonomous vehicle safety

As work to improve the fidelity of ADAS and automated driving continues throughout the industry, a widespread problem persists, the lack of a consensus approach to determine effectiveness of safety measures in autonomous vehicles. In this absence, engineers are often forced to rely on a blend of existing standards and best practices to develop and test.

Through the collaboration of FEV’s intelligent mobility division, FEV.io, and tool developer, Streetscope, it’s hoped development costs can be reduced, and processes will be made more efficient and faster.

“Together, we are offering a tool and methodology that can provide an alternative,” said Tom Tasky, vice-president of Intelligent Mobility and Software at FEV.io, “enabling the use of quantitative measures to improve design, enhance safety, and accelerate the development and deployment of autonomous vehicles and advanced driver assistance systems.”

FEV will incorporate the Streetscope Hazard Measure (SHM) proprietary measurement of collision hazards into autonomous vehicle technologies and the life cycle of mobility development. The software platform can process data from AV sensors such as cameras, lidar and more, to analyse driving situations and objectively characterise potential hazards. It then calculates a “Hazard Measure” based on kinematic relationships between elements present in the scenario, resulting in a quantifiable metric that correlates with collision risk.

“The SHM can be used to validate system requirements and design approaches earlier in the development lifecycle,” said Streetscope CEO, Mark Goodstein, “as well as to provide an ongoing, predictive measure not dependent on crash data or incident reporting.”

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