p>MAHLE Powertrain will showcase its new MMHP (MAHLE Modular Hybrid Powertrain) fully integrated and modular hybrid drive (earlier post), which can be tailored to suit a wide range of vehicle applications, at Aachen Colloquium 7-9 October.
The MMHP is a fully integrated, plug-in hybrid drive that incorporates a highly efficient 2- or 3-cylinder, turbocharged gasoline engine featuring the latest MAHLE technologies.
MAHLE says that the MMHP offers several advantages over established hybrid technologies, including cost-efficiency, compactness and reduced weight.
The launch of MMHP at the Low Carbon Vehicle Event at Millbrook in the UK and overwhelming subsequent industry interest in the technology at IAA Frankfurt has been hugely encouraging and proves that we have delivered an industry solution at exactly the right time. The need for vehicle manufacturers to comply with the EU’s legislative target of fleet average CO2 emissions of 59.4 g/km by 2030 requires dynamic technology development and implementation. Electrification is leading the way as the industry’s chosen technology to achieve this and MMHP could provide a timely head-start for manufacturers on the brink of new vehicle development.
—Dr. Martin Berger, MAHLE Powertrain’s Engineering Director
Dr. Mike Bassett, MAHLE Powertrain’s chief engineer for research, will present further detailed specifications of the MAHLE Modular Hybrid Powertrain and the challenges currently facing the automotive industry.
The extreme flexibility of MMHP is enabled by the ability to deliver an optimized power unit whatever the manufacturer requirements. The key to the concept is that the engine performance and number of transmission ratios can be optimized, using common building blocks, to enable charge sustaining operation for a wide array of vehicles and performance levels. This helps to control costs and avoid unnecessary investment in sub-optimally specified components that jeopardize ultimate efficiency and development times. MMHP offers a perfect blend of efficiency and performance without compromising driving pleasure or vehicle range.
—Dr. Bassett
The performance of the electric powertrain harnessed in MMHP reduces the requirements of the combustion engine, enabling the development of a cost-optimized Dedicated Hybrid Engine (DHE). The engine concept was designed exclusively for hybrid applications and employs port fuel injection (PFI), a single overhead camshaft (SOHC) without variable valve timing control, and simple two-valve per-cylinder technology to optimize costs.
In addition, the engine benefits from the latest innovations made with the passive MAHLE Jet Ignition (MJI) system. MJI technical information and details of its development will also be presented in a paper at Aachen, Development of both active and passive pre-chamber jet ignition multi-cylinder demonstrator engines, delivered by Michael Bunce, head of research at MAHLE Powertrain, LLC .
MAHLE Powertrain’s testing has shown a 10-20% increase in thermal efficiency with active MJI compared to baseline modern engines.
MAHLE Powertrain is a wholly owned subsidiary of the MAHLE Group, a leading international development partner in the areas of engine systems, filtration, mechatronics and thermal management. MAHLE Powertrain specialises in the design, development and integration of advanced internal combustion engines and electrified powertrain systems.