White Van Man’ goes green at CV Show 2006

Apr 06

A technology and engineering alliance between three UK-based companies has created a demonstrator vehicle designed to project the advantages of hybrid technology to the operators of Britain’s light commercial “white van” fleets.

The three companies – Azure Dynamics, GKN Autostructures and Ingimex – have taken a standard, diesel-engined Ford Transit and converted it to a diesel electric hybrid capable of operating in conventional front wheel drive, rear wheel drive or four wheel drive mode driven either by diesel or electric power or a combination of both.

The demonstrator is on show on the Ingimex stand at the Commercial Vehicle Show in the NEC (National Exhibition Centre) in Birmingham beginning April 25.

Ingimex MD Justin Gallen said: “The level of interest from OEMs has been remarkable, and we have had a number of the main players expressing serious interest in the technology and its application to the home market.”

Angelo Fanourakis, Head of Advanced Engineering at GKN’s Autostructures business added: “Our shared objective at the CV Show is to raise awareness and assess the acceptance of hybrid technology for commercial vehicles in the UK. Although hybrid technology is well-established for passenger cars, little has been tried with commercial vehicles.”

The ‘technology demonstrator’ vehicle, an adaptation of a Ford Transit drop side, combines a traditional diesel engine and an electric motor, controlled by a powerful central computer that takes into account speed, engine load and battery condition. The vehicle produces electric power ‘city drive’ (RWD) at low speeds, diesel power ‘inter city drive’ (FWD) at higher speeds, and ‘hybrid power’ (part-time 4x4 assist drive) by combining diesel FWD and electric RWD.

GKN Autostructures is responsible for project management, vehicle integration and structural integrity of the vehicle. Angelo Fanourakis said, “Our role is to ensure that the vehicle is structurally adept. The chassis has to carry the addition of the battery and electric motor, modifications have to be made to chassis and suspension componentry and all modifications have to comply ultimately to vehicle manufacturers’ performance targets in areas such as strength, durability and crash. We have also been able to draw on additional technical resource from within the GKN Group, to ensure that all driveline components fully integrate with the electric drive”.

Azure Dynamics is responsible for supplying the electric drive system and integrating it into the vehicle, drawing on many years experience in Canada and North America where hybrid technology for commercial vehicles is well-established.

UK Managing Director Nigel Base said: “The opportunity to partner with the global brand name of GKN, and the leverage this can offer with OEMs, was an attractive prospect giving us real scope to demonstrate our technical expertise and commercial experience. The brand strength of UK body manufacturer Ingimex opens doors into the 3.5 tonne sector and brings a ‘whole vehicle’ dimension to the project.”

Discussions between GKN Autostructures and Azure Dynamics began in October last year and snowballed quickly, as Angelo Fanourakis explained: “What began as an innovative and enterprising idea floated amongst department colleagues has accelerated in just six months to a fully-working demonstrator vehicle. There are many people involved behind the scenes, and their commitment and enthusiasm has really made the project fly.”

Nigel Base added: “The UK is two years behind North America and Canada, but all the pointers suggest there is a market readiness for electric and hybrid electric technology to take off. With less fuel being used during the urban part of a vehicle’s drive cycle, hybrid technology offers fuel cost savings as well as a significant reduction in both CO2 and other exhaust emissions.“

Ingimex joined the project late last year, bringing the manufacturer’s expertise in body/chassis integration, and in-house knowledge of Whole Vehicle Type Approval (WVTA). “Innovative manufacturing sits comfortably with us, and we are delighted to be involved in this exciting project,” said Justin Gallen. “The CV Show offers an ideal platform for the project partners to gauge market interest. The vision is for hybrid technology available as ‘bolt-on’ options across different vehicle brands and, in this scenario, assembly and load body integration is where Ingimex will excel.”

An extensive programme of test and calibration is planned, leading to a road show organised by the partners in early April. The ‘technology demonstrator’ vehicle will be driven in both ‘city drive’, ‘inter city drive’, and taken off-road to demonstrate the ‘part time 4x4 assist’ drive capability required where, for example, building site conditions prevail.

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