How Traction Control works?

The orange triangle with arrow warning light is ASC (Automatic Stability Control), BMW's speak for traction control

New cars are complicated huh? Browse carefully the sales brochure and you will inevitably stumble upon a list of fancy sounding safety features that will make your eyes glaze. For the purpose of this post, one of those fancy sounding feature include Traction Control. So what is it then and how does Traction Control works?

So what on earth is Traction Control??

   

  Source: Wikipedia

Imagine it's a rainy day. You're about to take off from standstill and simply plant the gas pedal to the floor. The next thing you knew, your car is barely making forward progress and fishtail as your driven wheels spin up like crazy. This is where Traction Control comes in.

In the same scenario with Traction Control, the system detects you're giving too much gas and the driven wheels, since it's sitting in a deep puddle of water, have zero grip to safely accelerate the car without risking lost of control and potentially causing accident. 

The computer that governs the Traction Control system will either apply the brakes on the slipping wheels or briefly retard the engine to reduce the power going to the driven wheels, hence slowing it down until the wheels restore grip.

In essence, Traction Control works sort of like Anti-lock Braking System (ABS) in reverse. Where the latter works when you're stopping the car, the former works when you're accelerating. Unlike ABS which works on all 4 corners, Traction Control only works on the driven wheels; front wheels on Front Wheel Drive, rear wheels on Rear Wheel Drive and all 4 wheels on All Wheel Drive.

How does Traction Control works?

In vast majority of modern vehicles, Traction Control works in tandem with ABS in that it shares the same ABS wheel speed sensors and hydraulic modulator that pumps the brakes. The sensor monitors for differences in wheel speed of the powered wheels and communicate the information to the system's control unit. 

If large speed differential is detected between the driven wheels, the control unit recognises onset of wheelspin and employ the brake on the problematic wheel, pumping the brake pressure ABS style to bring the wheel back to normal speed.

Other than applying the brake, the control unit can also momentarily cut engine power. The interruption in power delivery slows down the driven wheel until normal rotational speed is established.

My E46 320i employs similar concept, in that the Traction Control (known as Automatic Stability Control or ASC by BMW) is integrated with the ABS unit. If there's a malfunction, both the ABS and Traction Control warning light will light up. 

When is it effective?

Traction Control works wonder when driving over low grip surface which includes but not limited to rain-soaked asphalt, gravel, grass, mud and snow.

I can vouch from my personal experience with my E46. When I get too punchy with the gas on gravel, grass, road humps and flooded road, the Traction Control light flash away like a parent scolding their kids for misbehaving.

The feature is effective during hard acceleration from standstill or low speed crawl as at this point of time your transmission is technically locked in lower gear. Lower gear = more power going to the wheels. At higher speed, wheelspin is less likely to happen as you'll be driving in higher gear, but still a possibility if grip level is abnormally low or you just drop Bugatti's engine in your mom's Camry. 

However, Traction Control can be a double edge sword. Imagine if your car is stuck in deep snow. In this situation, Traction Control can cut precious power that can be the difference between getting unstuck or remain rooted in the snow. It's therefore recommended that you briefly turn off the system to help you rock your car out of snow and reactivate the system after you're safely unstuck.

How does the FK8 Honda Civic Type R overcome torque steer?

The just unveiled FK8 Honda Civic Type R has to be a headline grabbing hot hatch. The 310 PS and 400 Nm of torque pumped out by the 2.0 litre turbocharged VTEC 4 cylinder is a stuff of madness. Its front-wheel drive Nurburgring lap record is testament to its performance credential that will have enthusiasts worldwide drooling. 

Speaking of front-wheel drive, there's one inherent problem in sending prodigious amount of output solely to the front wheels - torque steer. Torque steer is basically a result of having the front wheels doubling as the powered and steered wheels. The introduction of copious torque to the front wheels introduce leverage against the front wheels allowing the car to be steered under the influence of torque.    

For example, if you floor the throttle and the steering wheel tugs to one side without any input from you, you have torque steer.

Jason Fenske from Engineering Explained explained the cause of torque steer in one of his video. Some of the points he outlined are unequal length half shafts being the main culprit, with road conditions and tyre wear being taken into consideration as well. 

He also stressed particularly on steering geometry which directly influence parameters such as scrub radius and spindle length. Scrub radius is basically an imaginary distance between the centreline of the wheels and the steering axis where it intersects the ground; spindle length is an imaginary distance between the steering axis and the exact centre of the wheel centreline.

Fenske showed how Honda has setup the front suspension in such a way that the steering axis is placed within the tyre as he explained. The resultant configuration lends to the reduction in scrub radius and spindle length, all which contributes to less torque steer.

Such innovation is not unique to Honda however, as manufacturers such as Renault PerfoHub, Ford RevoKnuckle and GM HiPerStrut achieved similar goals in the reduction of torque steer by making the scrub radius, and by extension, spindle length smaller.

Let Fenske explain the whole mumbo-jumbo in greater details in the video below.

Difference between Atkinson and Budack cycle

Atkinson cycle engine has been the technological de rigueur targeted at cars design for outright efficiency over balls-out performance. Chief recipients of the technology are commonly hybrid cars such as Hyundai Ioniq and Toyota Prius. 

So what is Atkinson cycle? It's a variation of the four-stroke cycle where instead of closing the intake valve just before the piston reach, or is exactly at bottom dead centre, the intake valve is shut as the piston is roughly 30 percent on its upward stroke during the compression stroke.  

This effectively lowers the effective compression ratio without changing the expansion ratio in contrast to the conventional Otto cycle. As a result, efficiency improves as the engine wastes less energy trying to compress the dense air-fuel mixture and ensures every drop of fuel burnt is converted into useful work (that is actual work in applying downward pressure on the piston) rather than being wasted for nothing.

Of course, this comes at a detriment to power output as leaving the intake valve open during the compression stroke pushes some air-fuel charge back to the intake port, reducing the air charge density left for combustion. 

Volkswagen, however, has a different take in achieving such feat. Instead of leaving the intake valve opens during the compression stroke, the intake valve is instead closed before the piston reaches bottom dead centre. 

This effectively achieves what Atkinson cycle does, which is to lower the effective compression ratio without changing the expansion ratio. If you want power, Volkswagen have you covered by employing a camshaft lobe that alters the intake valve duration, enabling a switch to Otto cycle.

That's about the lowdown I can elucidate. For a detailed rundown, do watch the video by Engineering Explained below.

  

Jaguar Future-Type Concept lets you own a steering wheel

Source: Jaguar

With the relentless pursuit of autonomous car gaining more and more momentum, we are looking at the prospect of a future where drivers just take a seat and enjoy a sip of latte while the car expertly provides a smooth, chauffeured-ride by itself. To those who sees driving as more than just a monotonous point A to point B chore, it's understandable to feel the world has left them out in the cold. For that reason is why Jaguar decides to offer up a solution - a dual-mode autonomous car with a choice to let the car handle the driving task or hand over complete control to the driver.

Meet the Future-Type Concept, Jaguar's idea on implementing full self-driving car while allowing drivers to take over at will. The Future-Type Concept is set for 2040 introduction. The concept behind Jaguar's futuristic autonomous car is interesting nonetheless. In Jaguar's word, the Future-Type Concept is underpinned by "on-demand service club", meaning the operation of the concept is done by a portable, voice-activated artificial intelligence steering wheel. Yep, all you need is the steering wheel and not the car. 

Source: Jaguar

Dubbed Sayer (named after Malcolm Sayer, the E-Type designer), Jaguar said the steering is capable of performing hundreds of tasks which include summoning the car, play your favourite music and even knows what is inside your fridge. What is more, the ownership of the steering eases ride-sharing service as a fully charged Future-Type Concept can be summoned on demand, or if privately owned, lets you call Future-Type Concept for a late night jaunt to posh restaurant with your significant others.

As per the concept's raison d'etre, Jaguar said the car can be entirely left to its own devices or if you're in adrenaline mode, Sayer steering is on hand to let you thrill yourself at your favourite B-road.

                           
                                                                                          Source: Jaguar

Owing to the demand of the increasingly connected world, the Future-Type Concept will feature a 2+1 seating orientation, with a rear-facing front seat enabling face-to-face conversation with front-facing driver seat and rear passenger seat.  

The Future-Type Concept is a step towards the future that doesn't take away altogether driving involvement that enthusiasts yearn for. This has to be an example of innovative ideas that preserve the sanctity of driving while still giving the impetus for progression in technology.

Source: Jaguar

     

Mazda SkyActiv-X, a spark-aided Homogenous Charge Compression Ignition

Source: Kickaffe via Wikimedia Commons CC BY-SA 4.0

The battle for high efficiency, low emission engine continues to gather momentum when Mazda made a revolutionary announcement earlier this month in the form of the SkyActiv-X engine technology, which Mazda predicts will find its way into production cars by 2019. What the heck is that? Another one of Mazda's trick techno wizardry? In no uncertain term, it is one heck of a piece of tech. It is Mazda's speak for Homogenous Charge Compression Ignition (HCCI) engine, which mixes air and fuel in the cylinder like a gasoline engine, but ignite by piston compression like a diesel engine.

That sounds like a win-win proposition-diesel efficiency combines with clean gasoline emission. Except with a but. A BIG but. There has never been a production HCCI engine in mainstream cars. Why? Well, it's due to this conundrum: timing. Unlike on conventional gasoline and diesel engine where ignition timing can be easily controlled and adjusted with the spark plug (gasoline) and fuel injector (diesel), HCCI has no such luxury. It relies solely on cylinder temperature which if not controlled properly, can create a whole host of nasty problems such as the dreaded knock when it's too hot or compromised combustion if it's too cold.

To remedy this problem, Mazda throws in the spark plug. The idea is that when condition is less than ideal for compression ignition (cold engine, low ambient temperature, high load/rpm), the spark plug will take care of ignition. During highway driving or low load/rpm, the engine will revert to compression ignition to increase efficiency. Speaking of efficiency, Mazda claims their SkyActiv-X tech can improve efficiency by 20-30%. Bold claims there Mazda.

Efficiency aside, this warrants some questions:

1. How will Mazda ensure seamless transition from spark ignition to compression ignition and vice versa? 
2. What approaches will Mazda adopt to control the time combustion occurs?

Let Jason Fenske of Engineering Explained offers some educated guess:

Video Credit: Engineering Explained

    

This is how car thieves can steal keyless entry-equipped cars

Car keys are increasingly getting high-tech. From conventional mechanical keys to remote keys and finally to keyless entry that obviate the need to fish out the key from owner's pocket to unlock and lock the car. This obviously offer nice convenience factor to car owners...and even to car thieves. Yep, car thieves can still drive keyless entry-equipped car away which is not only easy to pull off, but dead cheap as well. Wired Magazine reported that Qihoo 360, a Beijing-based security firm, had proven the possibility through a relay hack.

How does the relay hack work? 

For keyless entry to work, car owners need to be standing within close proximity, roughly 5 feet away from the car, to pick up the signal from the key fob. What the relay hack does is it enables would-be car thieves to extend the signal from the owner's key fob to a radio signal device that tricks the car into thinking the key fob is within close proximity. The short video above by Jun Li, a researcher from Qihoo, demonstrates how the hack is executed.

For this hack to work, it will require 2 people and 2 radio signal devices. One thief tails the owner with the device in hand. The device will then copy and transmit the signal from the owner's key fob to a separate device held by the thief's accomplice who is within close proximity with the car. The car receives the signal from the device and tricked into thinking it is receiving signal from the owner's key fob, the car door is automatically unlocked. 

Simple indeed. As well put by Jun Li, "You're working in your office or shopping in the supermarket, and your car is parked outside. Someone slips near you and then someone else can open up and drive your car. It's simple." 

The price?

How much it costed Qihoo to put together the radio hacking device? Well, get this: $22 (RM 95)! Dead cheap indeed. Also, according to carmudi, the hacking system's range is increasing, enabling car thieves to unlock the car even if the owner's key fob is more than a thousand feet away. Is this the end of the world?  

How to prevent the hack from occurring?

Thankfully there is a way. As suggested by Qihoo's researchers, automakers and component companies can prevent the relay hack by tightening the timing constraints in the call-and-response communications between the key and car. In other words, if the signal is copied and transmitted too far away, the fraudulent transmission can be rejected altogether. 

Owners can also do their part by keeping the key inside a Faraday bag that blocks radio signal or inside a metal box such as a refrigerator.   

Let's hope the auto industry can get their act together to forestall future attacks before it becomes too easy for car thieves. 

   

Mercedes AMG A45: The M133 4 cylinder monster

Source: TTTNIS via Wikimedia Commons CC0 1.0

Small displacement turbocharged 4 cylinder engine is becoming a popular choice in hot hatch. Combining the power of turbocharger with the simplicity of having just 4 cylinders has got to be a boon in the age where meeting emission standard is a necessary evil, but without compromising the thirst for out-and-out performance that enthusiasts (including myself) crave.

Hence, why turbo 4 pot pocket rocket such as the Peugeot 208 GTi (200 hp), Ford Fiesta ST (180 hp), Ford Focus RS (350 hp) and Renault Megane RS (275 hp if you fancy the potent 275 Trophy-R) exist. However, none of the engines in the above-mentioned hot hatch hold a candle to the M133 engine found in the bonnet of a 3-pointed star hot hatch, namely the Mercedes AMG A45.

Source: Digital-Designs via Wikimedia Commons CC BY 2.0

It  all began...

Assembled by hand in Kolleda, Germany, the engine is based on the M270, with knowledge gained from the M156 (6.3 litre NA V8) and M157 (5.5 litre twin turbo V8) integrated into the M133. AMG reckoned that fitting the M270 in their ultimate hot hatch would stifle its credential, as in stock form it only made 208 hp. Not good. So, since 2013 AMG worked its magic to conceive the M133, claimed to be the world's most powerful production 4 cylinder engine.

The M133 2.0 litre twin-scroll turbo 4 pot dished out 355 hp in its initial guise thanks to its spray-guided direct injection with piezo injectors, 83 mm x 92 mm bore and stroke, 8.6:1 compression ratio and mind-blowing 1.8 bar of boost pressure ramming itself into the 4 NANOSLIDE-coated cylinders. 

In case you're wondering what on earth is NANOSLIDE, it's basically a cylinder wall coating technique of spraying nano-crystalline iron coating into the cylinder wall of an aluminium block. This result in wear-resistant and low-friction surface that further eases the piston's up and down motion, freeing even more power from the already potent engine as a result from the reduction in internal friction losses. Plus, it helps cut weight as it negates the need for heavy cast iron cylinder liners that have been the standard approach in protecting aluminium cylinder block from being worn down by the piston's friction.   

Furthering the weight reduction regime is the all-aluminium crankcase, forged steel crankshaft and forged pistons with friction-optimised piston rings. Together with NANOSLIDE, this enables the M133 to tip the scale at just 148 kg!

Keeping the charged air cool is the air-to-water intercooler which according to AMG, utilises its own coolant circuit. On top of that, AMG also claimed this helps keep the charged air temperature down at an impressive 130°C!  

A45's party spoiled...or is it?

Source: Automobile Italia via Flickr CC BY 2.0

So it was fine and dandy for the A45, until alarm bell started ringing at Affalterbach in the early 2015 thanks to a certain brand from Ingolstadt who identify themselves by the famous four rings insignia....Audi. 

Audi just wouldn't let AMG rest easily. Their performance arm, RS, rolled out their own A45  fighter, the  RS3 Sportback. Deep in the depth of the Ingolstadt's hot hatch is the brand's iconic 5 cylinder engine displacing 2.5 litre. With help from the turbo, the brand's hallmark engine served the quattro all-wheel drive 362 hp. That's 7 more than the A45. The upshot? The RS3 Sportback sprint from 0-62 mph in 4.3 second. That's 0.2 second faster than the A45! 

Obviously, AMG wouldn't take the slap on the face lightly. In response, engineers from Affalterbach gave the M133 a massage, recalibrating the engine control system and threw in a new exhaust camshaft. This brought along power hike by 21 hp, raising the M133's power from 355 to 376.

In an I-got-your-ass-back sort of way, the advantage swung back to AMG's favour. The extra power brought down the 0-62 time from 4.5 to 4.2 second, nudging the A45 back in front of the RS3 Sportback's front bumper.

Accolade

Mercedes AMG had wowed the entire world by their brilliant M133 4 cylinder turbocharged engine so much, that it won the Engine of the Year award in 1.8-2.0 litre category 3 times. 

Why a hybrid Ford Mustang is inevitable?

You opened your favourite automotive news portal to feed yourself with attention-worthy news pieces. You scrolled down the long list of articles and if you happen to be a diehard fan of Ford Mustang, your jaw dropped. Your heart sank. You feel like screaming 'SACRILEGIOUS!!!' at the Blue Oval thanks to the news headlines that sounds roughly like this: Ford Mustang to join the hybrid bandwagon by 2020. 

"Gasp! A muscle car brute joining the ranks of Prius?! You gotta be kidding me!", I heard you exclaiming. Well, as much it's disheartening the Mustang is going to zap its V8 with a good dose of electric power, this isn't necessarily a bad thing and in some way, necessary. Here are reasons why:

Even high-end sports car brand is going hybrid route

Hybrid technology is no longer exclusive to run-of-the-mill, fuel conscious family wagon. Ferrari is contemplating on hybridising their entire model lineup by 2019. BMW performance arm, the BMW M, is also looking to complement their M cars with hybrid technology.

If that's not enough, Mercedes and Aston Martin are dishing out their own street-legal hybrid hypercar. 

Starting with Mercedes, their performance division, AMG, has confirmed their hybrid Mercedes AMG hypercar with F1-based (yep, it's the same engine found on Lewis Hamilton and already-retired Nico Rosberg's F1 car) 1.6 litre turbocharged V6 hybrid, though reportedly it might be larger in capacity as it's not subjected to motorsport regulation.

Joining Mercedes in producing insane street-legal hybrid hypercar, Aston Martin has team up with their partner, Red Bull Racing F1 Team, to develop their own version of the Mercedes hypercar, the AM-RB 001. This monster hypercar will get its power from a naturally aspirated V12, with extra power boost from F1-derived hybrid system.

All these leads to my next point...

Hybrid tech actually improves performance potential

Combine the internal combustion engine with electric motor and you have a recipe for a potentially tyre-shredding performance. I am going to use Ferrari LaFerrari as an example. 

The Ferrari LaFerrari's 6.3 litre naturally aspirated V12 outputs around 789 bhp. Supplemented by the 161 bhp HY-KERS electric motor, the only hybrid Ferrari production supercar generates a whooping total output of 950 bhp, good for propelling it from 0-62 mph in less than 3 seconds. Thanks to the hybrid powertrain, the LaFerrari is the most powerful  road-going Ferrari the brand from Maranello has ever produced, surpassing the F12 Berlinetta (730 bhp) and F12 tdf (770 bhp).

With LaFerrari's staggering performance figure in mind, I can't think of a reason why Ford wouldn't hybridise their iconic Mustang muscle car. If hybrid has granted LaFerrari the most powerful Ferrari road car crown, surely adopting hybrid tech is going to make the Mustang even more potent than the previous iteration of the Ford's pony car.

Of course, performance is not the only reason for going the hybrid route.

We have to go green yo! Coz tighter emission standard

This is by far the most crucial reason for sports cars to go hybrid. With emission standard getting tighter, this is becoming a necessity. More and more hybrid sports cars are hitting the roads, such as BMW i8, Koenigsegg Regera, second generation Honda NSX, out-of-production McLaren P1, Ferrari LaFerrari and Porsche 918 Spyder. These hybrid sports cars exist to give enthusiasts the performance they crave without getting under the environmentalist's skin.  

So implementing hybrid should be a win-win for the much loved Mustang. You still get a Mustang with tyre-smoking performance with lower emission to boot. Despite the benefits hybrid technology offers, there are several challenges to overcome.

The Challenges

Weight

Obviously, adding electric motor and battery pack do add weight, a complete opposite in performance enhancement. When Porsche was developing the 918 Spyder, their test driver and legendary rally champion, Walter Rohrl, was initially sceptical of it being a hybrid, as such approach will add weight (the 918 Spyder won him over eventually). 

With the current S550 Mustang weighing around 1600-1720 kg, implementing hybrid is going to make Ford's pony car weigh even more unless if they think like Koenigsegg.

Complexity

More parts, more stuff to break, higher expanses. Indeed, hybrid is one heck a complete headache-inducing piece of contraption to reap the performance and emission benefits. 

According to Mark Fitzgerald, a senior automotive analyst from a market research firm, Strategy Analytics, hybrid cars require additional components that you won't find in conventional cars such as "electric motors, electric inverters and converters, high-voltage batteries, electronic control units, semiconductors and sensors". Well, this is not entirely surprising as hybrid needs extra bits of stuff to make them function.

Conclusion

The idea of hybrid Mustang is not entirely a bad thing. Yes, there are camps that will go up in arms at the idea, but given the challenges that automakers are facing (emission being one of them), the wave of hybridisation is more or less unavoidable. All I can say is welcome to the future folks! 

         

Mazda says no RX-9; rotary engine to be used as range extender

Source: J. Lyon via Wikimedia Commons CC BY-SA 3.0

Wait a minute?? No RX-9? No rotary engine goodness?? This has to be a heartbreaking moment for rotary's diehard. Though I've never driven a Mazda-powered 'dorito' engine, I can see the appeal of its crisp, smooth, high-revving nature. 

With RX-9 out of the picture, don't expect rotary engine to solely power you down the highway. The good news is you don't have to give up on your dorito yet...but with a twist.  

Masamichi Kogai, Mazda CEO, told Automotive News in an interview that rotary engine will still be around, but as a range extender for their hybrid cars. To be blamed: emission and fuel efficiency.

"Considering regulations such as the zero-emissions vehicle mandate, electrification is a technology we need to introduce in the near future. The range extender would be the first." Kogai told Automotive News.

When asked by Automotive News if there's any plan for a future RX-8 successor with range extender, Kogai suggested that the MX-5 (Miata in the US) already offers an "exhilarating experience". I guess this means if you want the thrill of Mazda's sports car, the MX-5 should be in your shopping list.

So, with RX-9 not in the bucket list and you still crave for the rotary's screaming high rev to get you down the road, get a used RX-8, or if you still own one, cherish it till the end! 

Audi Q2 deep learning - a step towards autonomous parking

Source: https://www.audi-mediacenter.com/en/photos/album/audi-q2-deep-learning-concept-728

Parking can be such as a frustrating chore and make you pull your hair out. Automakers have addressed it with a suite of automatic parking technology. But, what if the car can learn the art of parking overtime that it becomes so smart you can leave the parking chore wholly to the car? Enter Audi's Q2 deep learning concept.  

How does the concept work? In a nutshell, a pair of mono cameras are fitted front and rear. 10 ultrasonic sensors are placed at points all around the concept. An on-board computer will receive the information and converts the information into signals to control the steering and electric motor.

Source: https://www.audi-mediacenter.com/en/photos/album/audi-q2-deep-learning-concept-728

The concept will then scan for an available parking space by itself. For the purpose of this demo, the parking space is represented by a metal frame as shown in the image above.

After identifying where it is relative to the parking space, it will determine how it's going to navigate itself into the parking space and steer, drive forward and drive backward until it's perfectly parked inside the space. All this is done without human input.

How does deep learning algorithm enables full autonomous parking ability? Through good ol' trial and error. The algorithm will experiment with different number of manoeuvre until it identifies which manoeuvre will increase chances of success. Once it does, you may enjoy a hassle-free parking. The car will do it for you while you delightfully continue sipping your latte.

With the future seemingly heading towards an era of automation, this deep learning concept will, in my opinion, become a viable technological solution to create a more pleasant commuting experience.   

Having problems with evasive maneuver? Ford's Evasive Steering Assist got you covered

The odds of surviving an accident in modern cars are getting increasingly likely thanks to the fitment of safety features, such as Automated Emergency Braking (AEB), Electronic Stability Control (ESC), Traction Control System (TCS), Anti-lock Braking System (ABS), airbags and many more. Well, Ford has decided to add another feature to the list of safety features, the Evasive Steering Assist (ESA).

Imagine you are dawdling around minding your own business when out of nowhere, say a crate, rolled into your path. Assuming you have AEB, the car will automatically slam on the brake to avoid collision. But, what if braking alone is not enough to avert disaster? Naturally you will jerk the steering to one side to steer around the obstacle, but what if you are not applying the right amount of steering to avoid the obstacle? This is where Ford's ESA can lend a helping hand.

Ford's ESA acts as a second pair of hand in case if the AEB could not prevent fender-bender alone. Just like AEB, ESA also relies on camera and radar system to determine if you are performing an evasive maneuver (ESA only kicks in during evasive maneuver, not before), and if necessary, speed up steering response to increase your chances of a successful evasive maneuver. Think of it like an invisible hand magically boosting the steering's response for a quicker evasion.

If you need more details on Ford's ESA, do watch the video below.

Video Credit: Ford Media

Nissan e-POWER electric drivetrain

Source: http://www.nissan.com.au/Discover/News/2016/November/02/NISSAN-INTRODUCES-NEW-ELECTRIC-MOTOR-DRIVETRAIN-ePOWER

Nissan has introduced its brand new electric drivetrain system under the Nissan Intelligent Mobility electrification strategy. Christened the e-POWER, the new electric drivetrain system is, according to Nissan, a result of knowledge gained from the development of the all-electric Nissan Leaf. The Nissan Note (pictured above) will be the first Nissan model to equip the new electric drivetrain system.

How does it work? According to Nissan, the e-POWER dispense of the need for external charging port thanks to the addition of a small petrol engine driving the power generator. The engine will fire up when the battery is low on charge. This will recharge the battery as you are driving along, which helps alleviate the so-called 'range anxiety' associated with all-electric vehicles. The battery will then feed its juice to the electric motor to propel you down the road.

This is in contrast to all-electric vehicles which does not lug around the internal combustion engine (ICE), nor the conventional hybrid where the ICE takes the propulsion duty over from the electric motor when the latter is low on charge.

Nissan's e-POWER is essentially a series hybrid system and in a way, it's nothing new. However, with the e-POWER technology, Nissan has managed to make the battery smaller compared to the Leaf's battery, which helps in weight reduction and more importantly, enables the electric motor to deliver high output for smooth, powerful acceleration.  

Toyota and Mazda strike up connected cars and electric vehicle (EV) deal

Source: http://www.maltatoday.com.mt/business/technology/

Seems like Toyota and Mazda are getting greener. After inking a deal last year to share each other's efficiency-enhancing technologies (Toyota provides Mazda with their fuel-cell and hybrid tech; in return Mazda provides Toyota with their efficient, compression-optimised SkyActiv petrol and diesel), the Japanese duo has struck up a deal that will see them focusing in developing connected cars and electric vehicle (EV) technologies, according to Automotive News.

The details of the deal, however, still remains under wrap, as Akira Marumoto, Mazda's executive vice president, declined to share the details.

Source: http://www.autonews.com/article/20161102/OEM01/161109974/mazda-says-toyota-tie-up-could-yield-electric-connected-cars

Mercedes new engines detailed

Mercedes has unveiled a new family of engines at Mercedes Benz TecDay event. The new engine features both petrol and diesel fuel, ranging from four-cylinder motor to V8 motor. All engines feature 500 cc per cylinder displacement, so do expect displacement ranging from 2.0-4.0 litre.

For more details on the new engines, keep on reading this post to find out.

M256 inline six petrol

A 48V electrical system dispenses of the need for engine belt-driven ancillaries. For instance, the water pump and air-cond compressor are no longer driven by the engine, allowing for belt-free engine block. Powering the said ancillaries is the new 48V electrical system. The upshot? It gives the block a much cleaner, clutter-free appearance and allows the ancillaries to be placed anywhere within the engine bay. Also, this can theoretically improve engine efficiency thanks to the reduction in parasitic losses.

The 48V electrical system also drives the turbochargers, dubbed as electric auxiliary compressor (eZV) to reduce turbo lag. Also, an Integrated Starter Generator (ISG) is sandwiched between the engine and transmission to provide hybrid function, such as electrically-assisted power boost and energy recovery.

Over 408 horsepower and 500 Nm of torque is expected from the M256, along with 15 percent reduction in CO2 emission over the outgoing V6.

A particulate filter (typically featured on diesel) is added, with cordierite the material used in place of silicon carbide on diesel particulate filter to take advantage of its good heat resistant property.

The M256 will make its first appearance in the facelifted W222 S-Class next year.

OM656 inline six diesel

Expected to output 313 horsepower, in contrast to 258 horsepower outputted by the outgoing diesel engine, with 7 percent reduction in fuel consumption.

Utilises stepped-bowl combustion (named after the piston head's bowl shape), Nanoslide technology (coating the cylinder wall with low-friction coating), two-stage turbocharging and CAMTRONIC variable valve timing.

M176 twin turbo V8 petrol

Displacing 4.0 litres, it is expected to output 476 horsepower and 700 Nm of torque.

Utilises closed deck block to increase the block's rigidity, cylinder deactivation to shut down four of its cylinders on light loads up until 3250 rpm made possible my the CAMTRONIC. Just like the M256 inline six petrol engine, the M176 is equipped with a particulate filter.

This engine will debut in the facelifted W222 S-Class.

M264 four cylinder petrol

Just like the M256, the M264 will be equipped with a 48V electrical system. Unlike the M256, a belt-driven starter-alternator (BSA) will draw power from the 48V electrical system instead of the M256 ISG. The BSA hangs off where a conventional alternator sits. Mercedes claims such setup improves the smoothness of the auto start/stop, sharpens acceleration from electric power up to 2500 rpm, energy recovery up to 12.5 kW and cuts off the engine when coasting to reduce fuel consumption and emission.

The engine rams air into all four cylinders via a twin scroll turbo. Exhaust emission is further reduced with the addition of a particulate filter.

Video: How an internal combustion engine work

For centuries, internal combustion engine (henceforth will be called ICE) has been the staple source of motive power in mainstream transport, ranging from cars, motorcycles, aircraft and several more. Several different types of ICE in existence include piston engine, jet engine and rotary engine. 

I was at the recent BMW Innovation Day at Desa Park City and stumbled upon this working cutaway model. It was a sight to behold watching how the moving hardware interact with one another, that I could not help it but brandish my camera and record this video. 

The video above depicts how a 4-stroke motorcycle piston engine works. It is still the same principal as a 4-stroke piston engine found in cars (Suck, Squeeze, Bang, Blow). You can see from the video how the piston and valves interact with each other. 

I had a short chat with presumably a mechanic manning the booth. According to him, this is a new water-cooled engine with wet clutch system (old engine was an air-cooled system with dry clutch system). In case you are wondering what is that big round disc spinning in the crankcase, that is the wet clutch the mechanic was referring to. It is bathed in oil, hence 'wet' clutch. Before I bore you with more technical details, do enjoy the video!  

                                                       

Mazda G Vectoring Control

                               

                                             Source: Norbert Aepli via Wikimedia Commons CC BY 4.0

Jinba Ittai. Literally horses and riders. In Mazda's parlance, that is Mazda's philosophy in delivering their adoring customers with an unadulterated synergy between the driver and the car. Mazda has decided to take the Jinba Ittai to the next level: by adding SKYACTIV-VEHICLE DYNAMICS to the firm's suite of SKYACTIV technologies. The first technology to appear under the SKYACTIV-VEHICLE DYNAMICS family is the G Vectoring Control (GVC), which had been recently added to the facelifted Mazda 3 and Mazda 6.

GVC is basically a software that actively communicates with the engine in response to steering input to optimise vertical loading on each tyres. It does this by either reducing or reinstating torque based on steering angle. 

The idea is that by reducing torque, deceleration is induced. This initiates forward load transfer which helps in improving turn-in response when the driver begins turning the steering. This should, in theory, neutralise understeer (the car wants to go straight even after the steering has been turned).

Once the driver maintains steering mid-corner, the system reinstate torque, inducing acceleration. This transfers load to the rear which stabilises the car. Theoretically, this will make the car less prone to oversteer (the front end turns more, giving the sensation you are spinning out).  

According to Mazda, neither drivers nor passengers will notice GVC at work. Mazda assures that GVC offers significant comfort to the vehicle occupants, as GVC reduces the amount of buffeting experienced by vehicle occupants. This could be due to drivers not having to make corrections directly with the pedals and steering which (I am sure you have experienced this as a passenger) will almost always spill your coffee!

Also, with GVC, Mazda assures that it will enhance straight line stability. In other words, it reduces steering correction on straight road. Most of us barely notice it, but we do constantly make slight steering adjustment to compensate for road undulation and surface imperfection. Thanks to GVC, the lack of steering correction, according to Mazda, should reduce fatigue.

As it is just a software, Mazda assures this will not add weight and complexity as this does not require the addition of extra hardware.

All in all, the newest addition to the SKYACTIV-VEHICLE DYNAMICS family may transform your Mazda into a tiny handling monster capable of making the supercars look silly around curves, or when you are barreling down the freeway. Hopefully, Mazda's tireless pursuit for enhanced Jinba Ittai will show itself in their products.      

Source: http://insidemazda.mazdausa.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/mazda_g_vectoring_press-information.pdf  

BMW M52TU engine

Pictured above is a lovely, creamy inline 6 cylinder that powers my father's E46 320i M Sport. By far one of my favourite engine configuration to date thanks to its impeccable smoothness. Give the throttle a light prod, all 6 cylinders work together to provide a chauffeur smooth, yet satisfying acceleration. Well, I digress. That engine in the above photo is the M52TU. So, what is M52TU then?

M52TU is basically a variation of BMW M52 engine family, meaning it is still an inline 6 DOHC 24v with aluminium block (with the exception for North American models that used iron block instead thanks to their high-sulphur fuel). What sets apart the M52TU from the regular M52 is the former is a much enhanced version of the latter (TU stands for Technical Update). This entails the addition of features such as Dual VANOS and DISA valve.

VANOS refers to BMW's proprietary variable valve timing system. The system exists in two iterations: (1) Single VANOS (varies intake valve timing only) and (2) Dual VANOS (varies both intake and exhaust valve timing). Single VANOS is used in the regular M52 engine; the more advanced Dual VANOS is used in the enhanced M52TU engine, as found in my father's E46 320i M Sport. The advantage of Dual VANOS over Single VANOS is continuous adjustment of valve timing. In other words, it is not an on/off switch where variation in valve timing takes place over discrete steps (i.e., retard intake low rpm, advanced intake high rpm and back to retard as rpm lowers). From my understanding, Dual VANOS offers greater flexibility in choosing the most appropriate valve timing rather than sticking with Single VANOS restrictive stepped-setting. Theoretically, this further improves performance and efficiency over the M52.

Another addition to the M52TU is the DISA valve, BMW's lingo for variable length intake manifold. It adds a butterfly valve inside the intake manifold that opens and closes to create a dynamic effect of long and short manifold for better cylinder filling over wider rev and load range. In conjunction with Dual VANOS, it should theoretically aid the engine in delivering the potent performance and efficiency that improves on what the M52 is capable of.

Sounds like the M52TU trumps the M52, but does the M52TU really offer significant improvement over the M52? Lets take a look at the performance curve below:

Source: http://www.bmwtech.ru/pdf/e46/ST034/9%20Engines.pdf 

It turns out it doesn't make much difference peak torque-wise. Both M52 and M52TU output the same peak torque, but the latter peaks earlier than the former (3500 vs 3950 on the M52). Also, power peaks at the same 5500 rpm but with slightly more power for the M52TU (170 vs 168 on the M52).

The addition of Dual VANOS and DISA valve does not really do much to increase peak torque value. As suggested by the above curve, what they do instead is increase low-end torque. From the above curve, the M52TU exhibits much higher torque at low rpm and increases all the way until it reaches peak torque rpm. In contrast, the M52 has a slight bump roughly between 2000-2500 rpm and more obviously, significantly less low-end torque than the M52TU. Eventhough the M52's torque peaks at higher rpm compared to the M52TU, the curve shows that the area under the curve at the M52TU's torque peak is much larger compared to the area under the curve at the M52's torque peak. Essentially, the M52TU still has the edge as torque dips at almost the same rate for both the M52 and the M52TU.  

On the power front, the superior low-end torque garners higher low-end power for the M52TU, albeit the area under the curve is smaller. Power peaks at the same rpm for both engines, but slightly higher for the M52TU.

Overall, the addition of Dual VANOS and DISA valve do improve performance if you are looking for fatter torque curve. If peak value is what you are looking for, then it is a moot point as there is not much difference in peak torque and peak power.

That's about the detail I am able to cover in this post. If you want more details about the M52TU engine, click on this link: http://www.bmwtech.ru/pdf/e46/ST034/9%20Engines.pdf