Fuel Systems for Hybrids
Whatever the hybridisation level, we have a plastic fuel system answer! Vehicle electrification is an automotive trend confirmed by the arrival on the market of powertrains with varying degrees of hybridisation. Plastic Omnium, through its Auto Inergy division, assists OEMs in the development of solutions fitted to each hybrid configuration.
Micro-hybrid / mild-hybrid vehicles
This first form of vehicle hybridization is spreading rapidly, particularly through the introduction of `Stop & Start` vehicles.
On vehicles equipped with this technology, "slosh noise" due to fuel movements in the tank when the vehicle stops is no longer masked by engine noise and therefore slosh noise reduction becomes necessary.
Plastic Omnium has developed a family of different "in tank" noise reduction solutions called INBAFFLE, improving acoustic performance of hybrid vehicle fuel systems. This is based on an unprecedented acoustic approach: right from the early stages of the design of the fuel system, Plastic Omnium uses computer simulation techniques to take into account vehicle requirements and predict and improve vehicle acoustic performance.
Full-hybrid vehicles
On these vehicles, the electric motor has sufficient power to drive the vehicle on its own during a limited period of time. Plastic Omnium already equips or will soon equip more than 20 vehicle models of this type and supports the introduction on the market of these new hybrid motorizations allowing "all electric" drive for short distances.
Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEV)
Future plug-in hybrid vehicles, whose more powerful batteries can be recharged by connection to the power supply, should bring a new dimension as they will be able to drive in all electric mode for much longer distances. Plastic Omnium develops appropriate fuel storage solutions for this new level of hybridization with a technology for gasoline versions, where fuel vapours can not be purged in the normal way by the engine when in all electric mode or when the vehicle is stopped. To meet this new requirement, Plastic Omnium offers sealed plastic fuel systems with the capability to store hydrocarbon vapours until the gasoline engine is running and able to purge and treat them.