American Axle & Manufacturing Designs Driveline System for Hybrid Vehicle

DETROIT, July 15 American Axle & Manufacturing Holdings, Inc. (AAM), which is traded as AXL on the NYSE, joined Ford Motor Company and three other automotive suppliers in the development of a prototype hybrid bus for airport shuttle and mass transit use. AAM designed and integrated several components of the driveline system for the hybrid vehicle including the rear axle, rear driveshaft, electric motor mounting, and parking brake system.

Called the "FASTM Bus," the prototype was completed 90 days after the first meeting was held to conceive and design it.

The conversion of the traditional internal combustion bus to a hybrid vehicle was accomplished through the utilization of advanced hybrid-electric technology. A generator, driven by a Ford 4.2-liter engine operating on propane (LP) gas, charges a pack of 28 lead-acid batteries with electricity to power the bus. The hybrid system captures energy normally wasted during idle, eliminates particulate emissions, uses regenerative braking to capture energy during braking to charge the batteries, and allows operation with the engine off (zero emission mode) in environmentally sensitive areas.

Because the drivetrain of the FASTM bus does not include a transmission, the driveline system was modified by AAM and standard components were replaced with an advanced 10.5-inch PowerLite® axle and PowerDense(TM) technology to maximize axle efficiency and performance. The axle is powered from the rear by the electric drive motor.

"The unique rearward axle configuration allows the propane fuel tanks to be located forward of the axle between the frame rails, enhancing safety and system packaging while delivering power in the most efficient manner," says Daniel V. Sagady P.E., vice president Engineering & Product Development.

The companies involved in designing and building the FASTM bus include: Ford Motor Company -- For the engine, fueling system, and E450 chassis. American Axle & Manufacturing -- For driveline system enhancements. Supreme Industries Inc. -- For the body and interior of the bus. TransTeq Inc. -- For hybrid technology and program management. Magtec Systems Technology Ltd. -- For the electric drive motors and controllers.

"Our participation in the FASTM program is a further demonstration of our commitment to providing technologically advanced products, processes and systems," says Sagady. "We are proactively exploring new technologies and innovative solutions for the challenges that future generation vehicles will face in all areas of automotive driveline systems design. These challenges include modularization and rear-steer innovations as well as the challenges that zero emission requirements pose."

AAM is a world leader in the manufacture, engineering, design and validation of driveline systems and related components and modules, chassis systems and forged products for trucks, buses, sport utility vehicles and passenger cars. In addition to its 14 locations in the United States (in Michigan, New York and Ohio), AAM also has offices and facilities in Brazil, England, Germany, Japan, Mexico and Scotland.