Whilst new technologies may offer outstanding opportunities for large steps in CO2 emissions and performance, they have to be proven and accepted in the harsh automotive world. Ricardo have experience both with new technologies and also with many programmes that are in production or are being productionised.
We are ideally placed to offer support for taking Hybrid and Electric vehicle programmes all the way from demonstration into production.
Ricardo offers a unique portfolio of skills:
We have a fully integrated tool chain that supports these areas of development spanning from concept and feasibility studies to assessment of prototypes, proof of concept and production.
Ricardo typically undertakes projects that can cover all or part of this process, for example:
- Belt starter alternator mild hybrid vehicle development – eg: demonstration vehicle preparation and proof of concept
- Crankshaft starter-alternator hybrid vehicle development – eg: component selection and full packaging study
- Hybrid controller development – eg: Vehicle simulation, Hybrid control strategy, DC/DC converter design, Hardware design, bench testing and technology transfer
- Concept definition - eg use of vehicle simulation, V-SIM, to select hardware, set targets and assess feasibility
- Hybrid control strategy development - eg: use V-SIM, to develop control strategies before implementation in hardware, rapid prototype and prove on vehicle, provide specification of control strategy to OEM and control unit supplier