Across the automotive industry, technology is constantly being revised and updated in order to increase fuel efficiency in powertrains and improve CO2 emissions. Achieving optimal operating temperature within internal combustion engines (ICEs) in a shorter space of time allows a potential reduction in CO2 emissions.
In the latest Automotive Megatrends webinar, titled Obtaining Fuel Economy and Emissions Reduction Improvements with Optimized Cooling, Thomas Buchholz, Manager – Research & Development, BorgWarner Thermal Systems, presented three innovative products that are currently the focus of BorgWarner’s efforts to reduce fuel consumption and emissions in powertrains.
Holistic approach
To maximise potential client numbers, BorgWarner is designing technologies that fit in various segments. By offering a variety of products targeted at both the passenger car and the commercial vehicle, BorgWarner ensures that its technology reaches different sectors across the industry.
Two of the three products created by BorgWarner that Buchholz presented during the webinar are designed to suit particular segments. The Heavy Duty Cooling system is specifically tailored for heavy duty vehicles. Its sole purpose is to maximise fuel economy by reducing drag losses. The figures that BorgWarner has obtained in its testing facility based in Markdorf, Germany, suggest a potential increase in fuel efficiency of 1.4%, compared to conventional cooling systems. Size is an issue, making the system viable only for heavy duty vehicles within the commercial sector. Buchholz stated that although BorgWarner is still awaiting market feedback for its larger pumps, it believes that the potential fuel savings will allow it to integrate easily into the commercial vehicle sector, slotting into existing production lines.
Designed for the small car sector, the Dual Mode Coolant Pump works off both a mechanical and an electrical drive, with an integrated electric motor and a friction clutch. Compared to a conventional coolant pump, the BorgWarner Dual Mode Coolant Pump has demonstrated a fuel saving of 2.1% (NEDC) as a result of reduced friction within the engine and lower parasitic losses on the pump itself.
The third and final product that Buchholz presented was the Auxiliary Thermal Coolant Pump 100 (ATCP100). This coolant pump is of particular interest due to the potential for it to be fitted to any type of vehicle. With the use of a highly efficient electric motor, it is able to run in near-silent operation. Buchholz was also keen to point out that this product is highly durable. The ATCP100 is currently on its way “to the market”, and according to Buchholz “easy to implement” in existing production lines.
Fitting into the market
Many OEMs have shown a reluctance to invest in new technologies due to their costs. With the induction of new technologies into the powertrain, like BorgWarner’s pumps and cooling systems, the cost of producing vehicles rises. This is an issue not only for consumers, who face higher purchase prices, but also for OEMs as their profit margins can rapidly decrease after new technologies have been introduced.
Some industry players have voiced concerns regarding making any changes to existing production lines in order to integrate new technologies and parts. OEMs have stressed the need for clear and reliable evidence to suggest that the money invested in production lines to allow for the arrival of new technologies is not only retainable, but there is guaranteed profit on offer.
Buchholz believes that BorgWarner has reduced the cost expectancy for OEMs if they include the company’s products into their production lines. He explains that BorgWarner supplies OEMs with algorithms that allow their pumps to function, so that OEMs do not have to invest money on developing them. He also states that both the Dual Mode Coolant Pump and the Auxiliary Thermal Coolant Pump 100 are “fully compatible” with conventional pumps – the pumps are designed to be an “add on”, with little or no change needed to existing production lines. That said, Buchholz admits that due to the complexity of the pumps and systems that BorgWarner supplies, there is an added cost that OEMs must take into account when utilising their products. Yet, with the potential savings in fuel based on the test cycle figures achieved when using BorgWarner products, the added cost of the systems should be “easily” made up in profits.
Michael Nash
