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Hybrid vehicles
The development of thermal/electric hybrid engines is one of the strategic themes that IFP has opted to focus on in order to cut the fuel consumption of vehicles.
IFP is studying the different types of hybridization that can potentially be applied to vehicles. The solutions proposed concern:
- the design and architecture of thermal engines. The aim is to optimize their performance in the context of a hybrid application,
- the development of innovative control strategies. The aim is to optimize engine function and onboard energy management.
Joint projects with industrial partners
The VEHGAN (Hybrid Natural Gas Vehicle) is a small "mild hybrid" urban vehicle. It seeks to combine the advantages of hybridization with the use of a low-carbon fuel, natural gas. The project is based on mild hybridization using the “Stop & Start” system and brake energy recovery. Control of this vehicle is based entirely on IFP-developed strategies, including those for automatic gearbox control.
VEHGAN is supported by the ANR (French National Research Agency) within the framework of PREDIT, the French National Program for Research and Innovation in Terrestrial Transport. For this project, IFP is working in partnership with Gaz de France, the OEM Valeo and INRETS (The French National Institute for Research into the safety of terrestrial transport).
>> For further information : "Vehgan urban vehicle: achieving low CO2 through downsizing & NGV hybridization" (Press release - 29 Avril 2008)
Full hybrid Toyota Prius demonstrator vehicle: IFP and Gaz de France have developed a full hybrid demonstrator vehicle based on a standard Toyota Prius adapted for natural gas as a single fuel. This demonstrator won an award at the 2006 Bibendum Challenge thanks to its excellent CO2 emission levels (75g/km). This is an extremely low level for a vehicle of this size (a saving of almost 50% compared to a gasoline vehicle in the same category).
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The VITEL (Véhicule Industriel Thermique ELectrique) project coordinated by Renault Trucks with the participation of CNRS, TOTAL and IFP has delivered its final results. This project, developed within the PREDIT framework, had been labeled by the Lyon Urban Truck & Bus competitive cluster. The purpose of VITEL was to study through simulation the advantage of adapting a hybrid powertrain to a Medium Duty type industrial vehicle intended for urban freight. The thermal engines considered for this application were a 4.8 L Diesel engine and four spark-ignition engines whose cylinder capacity ranges between 2 L (turbocharged) and 6 L (atmospheric). The hybridization ratio considered is rather high as a result of the high power of the electric engine used. In the case of spark-ignition engines, the use of alternative fuels (E85 and G20) has also been studied. Simulations were carried out with the AMESim software, by means of the Drive. library, the GT Power software and the GT Drive library. This study was conducted in 3 stages. The 1st stage was concerned with the recalibration of the results obtained with the 2 softwares by focusing on the case of the reference Diesel engine and with a conventional powertrain. The 2nd stage aimed to adapt the hybrid powertrain to the Diesel engine and to optimize the strategies in order to reduce the fuel consumption. The last stage was concerned with the adaptation of spark-ignition engines and with the implementation of the hybridization associated with this engine type. An optimization stage intended to reduce the consumption has also been carried out. The results obtained show that the Euro 6 regulation and the noise emission reduction are more readily obtained with a spark-ignition engine than with a Diesel engine, the Diesel hybrid however yields the best gains in terms of CO2. The results obtained with the best adapted spark-ignition engines show an interesting CO2 gain provided by the hybridization, ranging from 10% to 25% depending on the driving cycle considered, with an additional gain when using an alternative fuel, in particular NGV, whose CO2 emissions are approximately 30% lower than those of the Unleaded 95. New prospects are expected with the design of the hybrid architecture that is best suited to long-term urban applications. 
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In partnership with PSA Peugeot Citroën, IFP has recently contributed to the HDi Hybrid Diesel Vehicle project.
+ Industrial development > IFP's offer in hybrid vehicles
