DETROIT, March 3 /PRNewswire/ -- A compact, light-weight hybrid hydraulic
drive system that offers fuel-economy gains of 30 percent or more for medium-
duty military and commercial vehicles will be shown for the first time by the
U.S. Army's National Automotive Center at the 2003 Society of Automotive
Engineers' (SAE) World Congress and Expo here, March 3-6.
At 330 pounds, the prototype regenerative drive unit is 300 pounds lighter
than a similar, first-generation system shown last year at the Association of
the United States Army (AUSA) Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C.
Developed by Permo-Drive Technologies Ltd., the Regenerative Drive System
(RDS), also significantly increases brake life and reduces hydrocarbon-and-
particulate emissions for medium- and heavy-duty commercial vehicles.
The newest version of Permo-Drive's hybrid propulsion system is designed
for installation on medium-duty military tactical vehicles (FMTV) equipped
with a seven-speed transmission and six-cylinder Caterpillar engine. During
recent tests, a similar six-wheel-drive U.S. Army vehicle equipped with a
prototype RDS system achieved a 27 percent improvement in fuel economy.
When fully "charged," the system can generate nearly 1,000 foot-pounds of
torque and power equivalent to a 340-horsepower engine, according to Paul
Chandler, the company's vice president for North American Operations.
The Permo-Drive system stores energy normally lost as heat during the
braking process in a high-pressure oil tank called an accumulator. Captured
as pressurized fluid, the energy later can be released into a vehicle's
driveline to reduce fuel consumption or provide additional horsepower on
demand.
The RDS storage system includes two hydraulic-fluid storage devices -- a
high-pressure tank (up to 5,000 PSI) and a low-pressure reservoir. As braking
takes place, energy is captured through the flow of oil from the low-pressure
tank to the high-pressure accumulator. A central processor controls the
release of pressurized fluid during acceleration to enhance fuel economy,
reduce emissions and, when needed, increase horsepower.
In field tests conducted during February, the system also increased the
"dash" or rapid-acceleration capability of a medium-duty, military tactical
vehicle by 36 percent and improved deceleration rates by 60 percent compared
to rates achieved through exhaust-braking.
Chandler said that the Permo-Drive hydraulic-drive system is of special
interest to the military because it has the ability to:
-- Reduce the need for costly refueling operations under field conditions
away from stationary fuel supplies,
-- Boost horsepower for short bursts of speed needed to evade hostile
fire, and
-- Provide "cool" power to move vehicles without generating a "thermal
footprint" that can be identified by enemy tracking systems.
Permo-Drive recently signed a cooperative research and development
agreement with the U.S. Army's National Automotive Center (NAC) to evaluate
hybrid-hydraulic driveline systems for military and commercial applications.
In cooperation with the U.S. Army's Tank Automotive Research, Development
and Engineering Center (TARDEC) in Warren, Mich., the company plans to test
hybrid-hydraulic technology across a broad range of vehicles.
"RDS technology has the potential to save public and private fleet
operators billions of dollars in fuel and maintenance costs," said Chandler.
"Trucks account for nearly 81 per cent of the nation's freight business and
annually consume more than 42 billion gallons of fuel."
Dennis J. Wend, executive director of the U.S. Army National Automotive
Center, said that "In our modeling and simulation work to date, hybrid-
hydraulic systems have shown the potential to provide significant fuel-economy
savings for future generations of trucks. It's important to note that these
systems can be installed on existing vehicles as well."
Wend pointed out that the U.S. Army operates a fleet of nearly 250,000
vehicles that is being transformed into "a lighter, more mobile and more fuel-
efficient fleet."
The National Automotive Center (NAC) is a division of TARDEC and is the
Department of Defense and U.S. Army focal point for collaborative research and
development with industry, academia and other government agencies. The NAC's
mission is to "accelerate the infusion of commercially viable technology into
military land warfare systems."
Permo-Drive expects to have prototype commercial vehicles equipped with
hybrid-hydraulic systems available for testing in major North American vehicle
fleets later this year and plans to introduce the technology commercially in
2005.
Permo-Drive Technologies Ltd. is an Australia-based company focused on the
development of regenerative energy-management systems for the automotive
industry. More information about the company is available on the Internet at
http://www.permo-drive.com .
SOURCE Permo-Drive Technologies Ltd.
 back to top
Related links:
http://www.permo-drive.com
CONTACT:
Permo-Drive Company Contact: Paul Chandler
of Permo-Drive Technologies Ltd., +1-734-944-7279, E-Mail:
paul.chandler@permo-drive.com ; Permo-Drive Media Contact: Larry
Weis of AutoCom Associates, +1-248-647-8621, E-Mail:
lweis@usautocom.com ; or U.S. Army Media Contact: Bruce MacDonald
of MacDonald Communications, +1-586-978-3905, E-Mail:
brewster@macdonaldcom.com
|
