Above: Caterpillar’s Europe Research and Development Centre in Peterborough are (L-R): Ryan Maughan, Avid managing director; Dr Thanos Alexakis, Avid lead engineer; Chris Lee, Caterpillar project manager; Dr Richard Fairchild, Avid engineering director; Guy Blundell, Caterpillar research manager; and Dr Antonis Dris, Caterpillar senior research engineer.
UK-based automotive cleantech firm Avid Technology has secured a key position in a three-year collaborative program to develop more efficient vehicle powertrains with global OEM Caterpillar.
Caterpillar UK Engines Company, Avid Technology, Denso Marston and Imperial College London will collaborate in a project co-funded by UK’s innovation agency Innovate UK to develop a highly efficient hybrid powertrain for heavy-duty on- and off-highway vehicles.
The powertrain will utilize Avid’s advanced electrification technology for the engine’s ancillary devices to reduce the parasitic loads on the engine. Ancillary devices will be powered using waste heat energy that will be recovered from the exhaust.
The system is expected to deliver significant fuel consumption reductions over real-world operating conditions. This £5.2m (US$6.9m), three-year project encompasses software, hardware and control system design and development, and will culminate with an on-engine demonstration using a Caterpillar-built Tier 4 Final-compliant diesel engine.
This development reinforces Avid’s rapidly growing position as a world leader in the electrification of ancillary systems in heavy-duty and high-performance vehicles, an area which it has pioneered as a cost effective solution to improve drivetrain efficiency and emissions. The company specializes in the design and manufacture of electrically powered ancillary systems such as pumps and fans that are used in many advanced electric, hybrid and low emission diesel vehicles.
Avid’s managing director, Ryan Maughan (right), said: “To secure a program like this with a major name such as Caterpillar is huge for Avid. This has allowed us to push forward with significant investments in new facilities and personnel to support the growth of the business and will provide a platform for further growth over the coming years.”
July 29, 2016
