Delphi to Turn a Mondeo CD 132 Estate Into a Mobile Energy Laboratory for Ford

Download image

    WUPPERTAL, Germany, June 12 /PRNewswire/ -- In tomorrow's vehicles the
 steering, air-conditioning, and brakes systems, among others, will be
 controlled by highly advanced electronic systems.  The conventional 12-volt
 battery voltage used in today's cars will simply not be up to driving the
 large number of power systems.  Together with Ford of Europe, Delphi plans to
 throw open the door to smart energy management based on 12-volt and 42-volt
 technologies.
     (Photo:  http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20020315/DEF002LOGO )
     "This is where Ford and Delphi are breaking new ground," explains Gerhard
 Mertes, Delphi's new global Product Line Manager for 42-volt and Multiple
 Voltage Systems.  "By developing a mobile energy laboratory, we'll try to
 answer many of the questions that are critical to the development of 42-volt
 systems, such as 'how will the 42-volt system behave under full load, and
 which electrical loads or electrical functions can be turned off/turned down
 in various situations.'"
 
     A Reliable Power Supply Through Energy Management
     The most unusual feature of the new Ford Mondeo CD 132 Estate research car
 will be its two electrical systems -- the standard 12-volt plus a 42-volt
 system -- as witnessed by the two separately mounted 12-volt and 36-volt
 batteries.
     With the energy management system, Ford's scientists will be able to test
 the interplay of the various 12-volt and 42-volt loads, generators and energy
 stores and identify the optimum load for the 12-volt/42-volt system.  For
 example, how does a sudden peak in demand affect the vehicle's electrical
 system when the driver brakes hard with the electric brake while putting full
 lock on the electric steering to avoid an obstacle?  How does the system
 respond to the sudden cut-in of loads with high energy demands, and how does
 this sudden surge in load affect the energy stores/batteries?
     The onboard electronics that have been developed by Delphi simulate the
 different load states and the high demand peaks in the 42-volt system.  At the
 same time the energy management system simulates the optimal adaptation of the
 12-volt vehicle system.
     The result is that Delphi will convert the research car, a Mondeo CD 132
 Estate, at its Customer Technology Center in Wuppertal and on site in
 Luxembourg.  Ford Europe will be carrying out the one year long programme of
 road tests to develop the control mechanisms and procedures for the energy
 management system at its Research Center in Aachen.
     For more information about Delphi, please visit Delphi's Virtual Press
 Room at www.delphi.com/vpr .
 
                     MAKE YOUR OPINION COUNT -  Click Here
                http://tbutton.prnewswire.com/prn/11690X99010318
 
 

SOURCE  Delphi