Delphi Pilots Technology Program With U.S. Marine Corps

Pilot program shows Delphi's technology transfer to military applications

TROY, Mich., March 1 -- Delphi Corp. , is working with the U.S. Marine Corps and the National Center for Manufacturing Sciences (NCMS) to provide a technology edge for the Light Armored Vehicle (LAV).

As part of the pilot program, engineers from Delphi, will equip an LAV with existing advanced automotive-based sensors, control electronics, diagnostics and telematics technology to show potential performance improvements.

"These types of innovations can help us take a technological leap forward while updating our ground vehicle fleet to maintain a critical edge," said U.S. Marine Corps Michael Simek, logistics management specialist for the Program Manager's Office, Light Armored Vehicles. "An edge that has been a decisive factor in nearly every recent military engagement."

Delphi has been a qualified supplier to major defense contractors for more than two decades and is currently on more than 40 programs. For more than 35 years, Delphi has supplied connectors and printed flex circuits to major U.S. defense contractors performing at subzero cold to over more than 400 degrees F, salt spray to sandstorms, and 12,000G blasts to supersonic speeds.

For this program, rollover, oil quality and fuel level sensors, a battery health monitor, absorbent glass mat battery, and DS800 Diagnostic Suite will be installed in several operational vehicles to validate the usefulness of these technologies in the field.

The LAV pilot will also undergo a full diagnostic mapping procedure that will allow Delphi's patented DS800 system to fully assess the health and performance history of the vehicle. The modified vehicles will embody the latest advances in commercial condition-based maintenance and will provide the U.S. Marine Corps with never-before seen asset health data and predictive analysis tools.

Later this year, a field demonstration of these technologies in a simulated combat environment will help define technology licensing or manufacturing opportunities for Delphi which would enable the retrofit of a wide variety of joint service ground vehicle platforms.

"This is an excellent opportunity for Delphi to transfer its outstanding automotive knowledge into a military application," said Michelle Drage, Delphi Director Technology Commercialization and Licensing. "The significant portion of our development work on this project has direct benefit to our existing commercial customers as well."

Delphi Technologies applied to the LAV

* Rollover sensor - Indicates if rollover is imminent. The sensor assesses the vehicle's inclination and in conjunction with other inputs such as vehicle speed and lateral acceleration, warns of extreme inclination or the potential for vehicle rollover.

* Oil quality sensor - Detects the quality of oil in the engine, assisting in the prevention of engine failure and reducing unnecessary oil changes.

* Fuel level sensor - Indicates more accurately how far the vehicle can travel before next refueling.

* Delphi Freedom(R) Absorbent Glass Mat Battery - This maintenance free power source provides twice the life of a traditional battery, even in harsh conditions (subject to vibration, heat, etc.), and offers excellent reserve capacity and cycling capability to meet increasing electrical accessory loads.

* Battery health monitor - Indicates level of battery energy available, enhancing operational effectiveness and preventing unnecessary maintenance.

* DS800 Diagnostic Suite - Assesses the current vehicle state and provides real-time diagnostic and repair instructions for the maintenance operations personnel.

For more information about NCMS, visit http://www.ncms.org/ .