Hydraulic hybrid is “Engine of the Year”

6th June 2013

ES Admin

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Bosch has won the international Engine of the Year award for its hydraulic hybrid. This powertrain complements a classic internal-combustion engine with hydraulic elements and a pressure accumulator filled with nitrogen. Frank Linkenheil, one of the two project leaders at Bosch, says: “Thanks to the hydraulic hybrid, alternative powertrains are one alternative richer. We are very proud to be the first supplier to win this award.” The award is presented annually by the organization UKIP Media and Events. The decision for Bosch was mainly due to the opinions of 78 leading automotive journalists from 36 countries. This was the first year that suppliers were eligible for a new category of the Engine of the Year award. Dean Slavinch, one of the initiators of the award, praised the hydraulic hybrid as the outstanding technical innovation of the past 12 months.

This innovative powertrain, which Bosch is developing in collaboration with PSA Peugeot Citroën, is the world’s first hydraulic hybrid with a pneumatic pressure accumulator. This can be rapidly charged, which means it can use surplus kinetic energy very efficiently when braking. Using this powertrain in city traffic can reduce fuel consumption by up to 45 percent. In other words, the hydraulic hybrid can significantly reduce the CO2 emissions of compact cars. The system is also suitable for other passenger-car classes, as well as for inner-city delivery vans that have to stop and restart a lot.
Bosch radio navigation system for China developed in record time

As well as the international Engine of the Year award, Bosch received the Automotive Interiors Expo Award for the 315 CN radio navigation system (RNS). Well known design journalists played a major role in deciding who would receive this award. Bosch produces the radio navigation system for Volkswagen vehicles that are sold in China. For this reason, it was tailored specifically to the requirements of Chinese customers. For example, they especially want to have a large screen. Accordingly, the cost-effective entry-level RNS 315 CN has a 6.5-inch display – about the same size as a small tablet PC. It was developed in a breathtakingly short time. It took just one-and-a-half years from the first idea to first delivery, and this despite having to program in more than 25,000 Chinese characters. Moreover, the device’s search algorithms were optimized to allow millions of points of interest throughout China to be browsed very quickly.

Robert Bosch GmbH will continue to drive forward technological developments in the automobile. As well as continuously improving internal-combustion engines and supplying innovative powertrains such as the hydraulic hybrid, the supplier is working on alternative powertrains for electric vehicles and efficient auxiliary units. Bosch engineers are focused equally on automated driving and on sophisticated multimedia solutions and user-friendly interfaces.