Most automakers have already or will soon have added electric or hybrid vehicles to their portfolios as a way to reduce fuel consumption and CO2 emissions. One of them is Chrysler, which just partnered with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to develop a new hydraulic hybrid powertrain for the Town & Country.
The project will allow the integration of a 117-cc hydraulic pump activated by the minivan's 2.4-litre gasoline engine. Fluid for the system will be stored in a 14.4-gallon, high-pressure accumulator. The latter will deliver the pressure energy to the axle hydraulic motor, giving the vehicle power to drive the wheels. A 45-cc electric motor and a two-speed automatic transmission will be involved as well.
No other information has been provided with regard to the operation of the new hybrid system.
Trying to catch up in the high-efficiency car game after months of financial setbacks, Chrysler is gradually finding its wings. Cylinder deactivation has long proven itself in V8 applications and a fuel-saving, 8-speed transmission will be introduced later this year for the all-new 300 sedan .
The hydraulic hybrid system developed by the EPA's lab in Ann Arbor, MI is well known and currently used in industrial applications, including large delivery trucks and garbage trucks, where the technology is a success in terms of fuel economy.
The goal of the partnership between the agency and the automaker is to reduce the size and complexity of the hybrid system and produce a technology that is sensitive to the needs of drivers for smooth and quiet operation.
The project will allow the integration of a 117-cc hydraulic pump activated by the minivan's 2.4-litre gasoline engine. Fluid for the system will be stored in a 14.4-gallon, high-pressure accumulator. The latter will deliver the pressure energy to the axle hydraulic motor, giving the vehicle power to drive the wheels. A 45-cc electric motor and a two-speed automatic transmission will be involved as well.
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| Photo: Chrysler |
No other information has been provided with regard to the operation of the new hybrid system.
Trying to catch up in the high-efficiency car game after months of financial setbacks, Chrysler is gradually finding its wings. Cylinder deactivation has long proven itself in V8 applications and a fuel-saving, 8-speed transmission will be introduced later this year for the all-new 300 sedan .
The hydraulic hybrid system developed by the EPA's lab in Ann Arbor, MI is well known and currently used in industrial applications, including large delivery trucks and garbage trucks, where the technology is a success in terms of fuel economy.
The goal of the partnership between the agency and the automaker is to reduce the size and complexity of the hybrid system and produce a technology that is sensitive to the needs of drivers for smooth and quiet operation.