MAHLE Adapts GPS Solutions For Plug-in Hybrids

FARMINGTON HILLS, MI -- July 14, 2015: As part of the continuing development of MAHLE's range-extended electric vehicle (REEV) initiative, the company's Powertrain division has developed control software which can manage the consumption of battery energy for plug-in hybrids through a combination of GPS (global positioning systems) and topographical road data.

Bernie Porter, head of MAHLE's Calibration and Controls Engineering group, said the company developed the software to use in research on its REEV test vehicle.

MAHLE's hybrid REEV uses a battery to store electrical energy from the power grid. Once the battery's charge is depleted, a gasoline engine is activated to power the vehicle.

Advanced knowledge of the route prior to the start of a journey provided by GPS enables the software to calculate the battery's available power throughout a trip.

"This enables the software to pre-determine the optimum operating strategy for the gasoline engine resulting in the best charging efficiency," Porter noted. "We've seen considerable benefits from the use of the new control software. Those benefits include improvements in fuel economy and a reduction in emissions."

The highlights of the REEV include:

Vehicle propelled by electric motors;

A compact battery charged from a residential electrical outlet;

On-board electrical generator recharges the battery while the vehicle is in motion;

MAHLE's 2-cylinder, in-line, 4-stroke gasoline engine;

Lightweight package with fully-integrated electrical generator;

Maximum continuous power, and

Reduced battery storage capacity without sacrificing vehicle range.