Hybridfest: Green Drive Expo - Ford’s Praveen Cherian
Posted by Matt Kelly | Filed under alternative transportation, event, hybrid
Hybridfest Green Drive Expo has come and gone for another year in Madison, Wisc, but the feel-good aura remains.
Special thanks to Ford Motor Company for supporting the event as Ruby Sponsor.
While at the expo, I had the good fortune to meet Praveen Cherian, Hybrid Team Leader on the Ford Fusion Hybrid, who gave me a walk around and a short test drive introduction to the car. Admittedly, I had the chance to drive the car from LA to SF earlier this year, so it was a joy to speak with the team leader who helped bring to car from concept to production vehicle.
The specs on the hybrid are pretty incredible if you ask me: certified 41 mpg rating in the city and 36 mpg on the highway and it can operate up to 47 mph in pure electric mode, approximately twice as fast as some competitors.
• New 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine (155 hp/136 ft.-lb. of torque) running the proven Atkinson cycle, mated to an electronically controlled continuously variable transmission (e-CVT).
• Intake Variable Cam Timing (iVCT) allows the vehicle to more seamlessly transition from gas to electric mode and vice-versa. The spark and cam timing are varied according to the engine load to optimize efficiency and emissions.
• Enhanced electronic throttle control reduces airflow on shutdowns, reducing fueling needs on restarts.
• Wide-band lambda sensor analyzes the air-fuel ratio and adjusts the lean/rich mixture accordingly to keep the system in balance and to minimize emissions.
• An added variable voltage converter boosts the voltage to the traction battery to operate the motor and generator more efficiently.
• A new smaller, lighter nickel-metal hydride battery has been optimized to produce 20 percent more power. Improved chemistry allows the battery to be run at a higher temperature and it is cooled using cabin air.
• A new high-efficiency converter provides 14 percent increased output to accommodate a wider array of vehicle features.
• Smarter climate control system monitors cabin temperature and only runs the gas engine as needed to heat the cabin; it also includes an electric air conditioning compressor to further minimize engine use.
• The regenerative brake system captures the energy normally lost through friction in braking and stores it. Nearly 94 percent energy recovery is achieved by first delivering full regenerative braking followed by friction brakes during city driving.
• A simulator brake actuation system dictates brake actuation and delivers improved brake pedal feel compared to the previous generation braking system.
Impressive!
Tags: Ford, fusion, GreenDriveExpo, hybrid, Hybridfest, Madison, Matt_Kelly, Praveen_Cherian, regenerative_braking
July 23rd, 2009 at 5:50 am
Hey Matt,
Great to meet you in Madison and talk a bit about Lincvolt! As promised, I’m linking some of your HybridFest coverage over at MileageQuest.com. Good work!
July 23rd, 2009 at 4:59 pm
Hey Randy-it was a pleasure–send me some info and I will do a post about it-maybe we can do an email interview…