VTE September 2021

VEHICLE TECHNOLOGY ENGINEER

Today’s Transformer SEA Change: SEA Electric making waves worldwide ACE EV: Transforming the world of electric light vehicles Premcar: Engineering for Australia Graduating to work: Making the move from university

September 2021 Issue 29 Representing mobility engineers since 1927 www.saea.com.au

VTE | Contents

Contents

September 2021 Formula SAE-A goes driverless

9

Honda starts testing autonomous vehicles

11

Tickford, Prodrive now Premcar

12

SAE Electric - Sea Change

18

ACE EV: Enter the Transformers

22

Special Features 18

SAE Electric – Sea Change

22

ACE EV – Enter the Transformers

26

Graduating to work – Why Kevin crossed the road...

VTE News 10

Automotive News

13

General News

14

Truck & Bus News

16

Defence & Aero News

17

Overseas News

Society News 4

Notes from the Chair - Welcome from Adrian Feeney

5

SAE-A News

Technical Feature 28

Technical – Evaluation of effects of biofuels blends on performance and emissions of diesel engine

Today’s Transformer ACE EV is one step closer to transforming today’s light vehicles

About the SAE-A SAE-A was founded in 1927 to address the need for further education for all facets surrounding Automotive Engineering, and now encompasses all mobility engineering industries in the Australasian region. The SAE-A is a non-profit organisation that works to serve the needs of its members and to promote the relevance of mobility related technologies to governments, industry and the community in general.

The editor, publisher, printer, the Society of Automotive Engineers – Australasia (SAE-A) and their employees, directors, servants, agents and associated or related entities (Publishing Entities) are not responsible for the accuracy or correctness of the text, pictures or other material comprising the contributions and advertisements contained in this publication or for the consequences of any use made of the products, services and other information referred to in this publication. The Publishing Entities expressly disclaim all liability of whatsoever nature for any consequences arising from the use or reliance on material contained in this publication whether caused to a reader of this publication or otherwise. The views expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect the views of the Publishing Entities. The responsibility for the accuracy or correctness of information and other material is that of the individual contributors and the Publishing Entities do not accept responsibility for the accuracy or correctness of information or other material supplied by others. To the extent permissible by law, the Publishing Entities exclude all liability pursuant to the Competition and Consumer Act 2010 (Cth) or other applicable laws arising from statute or common law.

Readers should make their own inquiries prior to the use of, or reliance on, any information or other material contained in this publication, and where necessary seek professional advice. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or part without the written permission of SAE-A is strictly prohibited.

www.saea.com.au

VTE | 3

Introduction | Secretary, CEO and Chairman Society of Automotive Engineers

VTE Published By: Society of Automotive Engineers - Australasia ABN:

95 004 248 604

Adrian Feeney

Address: PO Box 103, Werribee Vic 3030

Secretary, Chair and CEO Society of Automotive Engineers – Australasia

Phone: 0403 267 166 Email: info@sae-a.com.au Web: www.saea.com.au Membership & Subscriptions Rose De Amicis Email: rose@sae-a.com.au

Covid Covid Covid

Events Melanie Webster Email: events@sae-a.com.au

We all now know what that means and have learnt to deal with its consequences. For over 18 months we have had to live with this challenge; at SAE-A our working patterns have been adjusted to a home office, our events have been either delayed or moved to on-line and our planning has been incredibly challenging. However, as a nation we are starting to get clarity on the road map out of this pandemic and so at SAE we are able to plan with more confidence.

Board of Directors: Chairman & CEO Adrian Feeney Board Greg Shoemark Michael Waghorne Noelle Parlier Bernard Rolfe David Young Luke Callaway Samsone Lagozzino (Sam)

Magazine Production: Editor Mandy Parry-Jones Trading Terms Media Email: mandypj@optusnet.com.au Mobile: 0409 806 986 Design Brigid Fraser Email: fraseram@optusnet.com.au Mobile: 0413 009 122 Advertising

To this end, our event team; Cara Coughey, Luke Callaway, Noelle Parlier, Mohammad Fard and Sam Lagozzino have already started to put together a program of face-to-face events for next year whilst putting the final changes to our remaining 2021 on-line events.

This pandemic has had a profound impact on our premier annual event, Formula SAE which is scheduled to be run in early December 2021.

The reality is that lockdowns in several States have resulted in it being highly unlikely that we will meet that timing. As this magazine went to print the organising committee has not formally determined a new date for this year’s event, but we are close and as soon as we reach that decision, we will make the appropriate announcement. The most promising option is to run a full event in February 2022 with the

Jill Johnson Jill Johnson Media Email: jj@jilljohnsonmedia.com.au Mobile: 0409 217 624

FORMULA SAE Event Sponsors

VTE Industry Partner: Excellerate Australia Partners Supporters

4 | September 2021

result that most teams are likely to be available as it will be during the university summer break.

Furthermore, running an event that early in the year allows us to also return to a regular event in December 2022. Watch this space.

The overwhelming message I would like to convey is that vaccination is the only way out for us as a nation, so I personally urge and encourage all our members and readers to heed the messaging from our leaders and protect yourself and those close to you by being fully vaccinated. This is not a political statement, it’s a medical statement, we want everyone to stay safe and healthy.

This edition is full of interesting announcements with some of our projects, so please take the time to read them.

The one item I want to highlight is the engagement of three very talented and enthusiastic interns who have joined us for a period of up to six months. I welcome Noi Kotev from Swinburne, Evan Favos from University of NSW and Joseph Zanzoul from the University of Sydney. Noi and Evan are working on the Police Car Project and Joseph is working on the Engineers Act Victoria. I welcome them to our team and hope that they find the experience rewarding and of benefit to their careers

SAE | News

Professional Engineers Registration Scheme SAE-A has taken a further step towards helping members to comply with Professional Engineers Registration Scheme in Victoria, with the appointment of research intern Joseph Zanzoul to develop our application for approval as an Assessment Entity.

The Scheme came into force on 1 July this year, with a staged roll-out of mandatory registration dates over the next two years.

Registration will become mandatory for fire safety engineers on 1 December 2021, civil and structural engineers on 1 October 2022, electrical engineers on 1 June 2023, and finally for mechanical engineers, including automotive and mobility engineers, on 1 December 2023.

University of Sydney, conducting his thesis on engine selection (ICE vs Electric) and creating carbon fibre suspension wishbones for the university’s Formula SAE-A car.

SAE-A has had a representative on the scheme’s Stakeholder Reference Group since November 2019, and the appointment of Joseph Zanzoul is the next key step in the process.

At present there are three assessment entities approved by the Business Licensing Authority: Engineers Australia (The Institution of Engineers Australia) for all five cohorts – fire safety, civil, structural, electrical and mechanical engineering; IPWEA Victoria (Institute of Public Works Engineering Australasia) for civil engineering; and Professionals Australia (The Association of Professional Engineers, Scientists and Managers Australia) for all cohorts except fire safety.

intends to represent mechanical engineers with a particular focus on automotive and mobility engineers.

Joseph is a final year mechanical engineering student majoring in mechanical design at the

Most engineers covered by the scheme are engaged in the building industry, so SAE-A

To contact Joseph email Research.Intern@sae-a.com.au

Electric police car project expands its scope SAE-A’s electric police car project has expanded its scope to explore the market for an Australian zero emissions vehicle (ZEV) platform suitable for many applications beyond its original police car focus.

Noi Kotev

Building on the work done by program director Murray Longe, SAE-A has recruited research interns Noi Kotev and Evan Favos – both active Formula SAE-A team members – to do the required market research.

Noi is in her penultimate year of Mechanical Engineering (Honours) at Swinburne University of Technology, is passionate about sustainable engineering and the environment and is a powertrain and autonomous systems team member in the Swinburne Formula SAE-A team. Evan is studying Engineering at the University of NSW where he is team leader of the UNSW Redback Racing Formula SAE-A team, having previously led the chassis and aerodynamics development of Redback Racing’s first carbon monocoque chassis.

Evan and Noi will work with steering group member Jim Griffin, of Multimatic Engineering Australia, to implement a market study proposal he has defined for the project. www.saea.com.au

New Members The SAE-A would like to welcome the following new members:

Since the project’s launch in June 2020, its exploration of Australian police vehicles has confirmed the dominant use of one tonne commercial vehicles, specifically Toyota Hilux and Ford Ranger, by every police force in Australia.

Wider investigations have shown that a police ZEV ute platform could suit several other emergency services as well as generalpurpose vehicles, so the steering group has assembled a team to investigate the size and nature of that market.

Joseph Zanzoul

Individual members Darcy Burke Yuxi Cai Lucas Candido Ananya Chari Claude Dabare Emmalene Drew Joseph Dusting Mark Gilmayer Nick Goss Syed Ejaz Haider Mohairees Idzhan Ting Wei Lin Jakob Moeller Lloyd Morrissey Thomas Phelan Michaela Sykes-Turner Jayden Thomas Chanuka Wijesinghe Corporate Members Advanced Braking Technology Premcar SEA Electric

Evan Favos They will investigate the market’s needs and aspirations to determine the basic soundness of the SAE-A ZEV project to potential supporters and investors.

To contact Noi or Evan email Research.Intern@sae-a.com.au

The SAE-A is where members enjoy many benefits and become a part of the advancement of the mobility and engineering profession across Australasia through the transfer of technical knowledge and skills, and an increased industry network. Individual and corporate memberships are available.

More information at www.saea.com.au/membership VTE | 5

News | SAE

How to Build a Racecar MARC Cars Australia and Pace Innovations will be discussing racecar development from conception to the track in an SAE webinar to be held on 13 October 2021.

Global sports car and endurance racing manufacturer and team MARC Cars (www.marccarsaustralia.com.au) Alyson Fradgley who is team manager will present along with founder of PACE Innovations’ (https://paceinnovations.com.au) Paul Ceprnich who is a mechanical engineer. They will provide insight into their collaboration that led to the design of a highly in-demand racecar.

Ms Fradgley will share highlights from her extensive experience managing motorsport teams and sourcing quality parts. While Mr Ceprnich will discuss the challenges and achievements on the journey to designing the ‘best racecar chassis’ in Australia and the

decisions that took them from the MARC l to the MARC ll.

design, but overall anyone curious about where to start when you want to build a racecar.

This is an educational opportunity for engineers and technical people interested in component selection and integration into a project, fabricators interested in chassis

Members free, non-members $20, registrations close 12 October 11:59 pm.

For more information contact Cara Coughey on +61 438 745 552 or email events@sae-a.com.au

Standards ME-053 -Heavy Road Vehicles & ME-052 Review of the AS4177 The ME-053 committee at Standards Australia has been working on updating the following standards and parts thereof: 1. AS 2213.1 – 2001 Commercial road vehicles - Mechanical connections between towing vehicles selection and marking of pin-type couplings and drawbar eyes 2. AS 4968.1 – 2003 Heavy-road vehicles - Mechanical coupling between articulated vehicle combinations design criteria and selection requirements for fifth wheel, kingpin and associated equipment 3. AS 4968.2 – 2003 Heavy road vehicles - Mechanical coupling between articulated vehicle combinations testing and installation of fifth wheel and associated equipment 4. AS 4968.3 – 2003 Heavy road vehicles - Mechanical coupling between articulated vehicle combinations kingpins and associated equipment.

AS 2213.1 The main part of reviewing this standard is to ensure that its content and wording is consistent and aligns with the ADRs, NHVR and other similar standards.

This also included ensuring that the definitions within the standard are being updated commensurately.

Section 6 and 7 which relate to calculations of D and V values is being updated to ensure that new combinations are represented which are being utilised, and also to ensure that the worked examples are clear, concise 6 | September 2021

and relevant. Further to this there is deliberation concerning the relevance of the factors used to derive the D values, taking into account the larger quad and quin trailer combinations which are being built. ISO18868 is being referenced, to again ensure that the Australian Standard is harmonious with other similar standards.

This will ensure that the manufacturers of coupling components that are predominantly European or US will still have compliant products when sold in our market.

AS 4968.1; AS 4968.2; AS 4968.3 The main focus on the review of these standards is to ensure that they are consistent with current legislation as some significant changes have been made in this area. The definitions in these standards are also being assessed and rewritten to ensure that they reflect the current coupler plates, fifth wheel assemblies etc which are now being brought to market from the equipment manufacturers.

Further sections of the 3 standards have been updated with regards to the installation of coupling equipment to better reflect current industry standards and also the directives issued by the equipment manufacturers. Also new innovations in equipment have been brought to market which again need to be reflected in the standards.

As welding is a critical structural parameter of couplings and their installation specifically, the

clauses relating to welding have been updated to incorporate references to topic specific Australian and New Zealand Standards.

Outdated designs and components such as M rated king pins have been removed from these standards to again reflect the products which are available and utilised in the Australian market.

Cross reference has again been done to ECE R55 and ISO 18868 to ensure that the AS documents are homogenous with other similar standards. The tables and schematic in Section 5 of Part 1 has been updated to ensure that the design force and moment information contained in the tables can easily be referenced to the pictorial representation of force and moment directions/locations on the schematic.

Prior to the rewrite it was impossible to ascertain specifically the location and magnitudes of the forces and moments. The calculations sections are also being reviewed and updated to again reflect the inclusion of larger quad and quin type trailer combinations which are being utilised on Australian roads. A more performance-based standard is being assessed as it will allow for future developments without being limited by the standard.

SAE | News

Multimatic DSSV damper technology for Formula teams Multimatic has made its DSSV damper technology widely available to Formula SAE and Student teams.

Developed as a collaboration between student engineering interns and Multimatic’s vehicle dynamics team, the new dampers leverage the system architecture and spool valve cartridges of the company’s GT and prototype-level race dampers.

Dampers can be supplied for either conventional four-corner suspension setups, or systems with front and rear decoupled roll/heave.

Key to the DSSV design is the use of spool valves to control oil flow within the damper giving a tolerance claimed to be within a maximum of +/- 3% of total damping force from valve to valve.

This is the first time Formula SAE teams have been offered the option of purchasing a mode decoupled damper system, with separate heave and roll dampers.

A mode-decoupled suspension enables discrete control of stiffness and damping for each chassis mode. Each can then be tuned separately.

Other benefits include minimized contact patch load variation through independent modal damping, which helps improve overall grip.

Greater control of lateral and longitudinal load transfer through all vehicle manoeuvres also

SAE Plant Tours Please note that due to the changing COVID restrictions dates may change quickly or events may be deferred or cancelled so visit www.saea.com.au for the most up-to-date information.

PACCAR Factory Tour (5 October)

provides improved transient response and driveability.

The damping curves can also be almost infinitely varied through changes in the geometry of the port windows on the spool valves, and the rate of the valve control spring, giving scope for linear, progressive and digressive damping curves.

Multimatic is a global corporation that provides engineered components, systems and services to the automotive industry.

Multimatic’s core competencies include the engineering and manufacturing of complex mechanisms, body hardware, suspension systems and body structures, as well as the design and development of lightweight composite automotive systems.

The Tour of PACCAR will include a site walk-through of the factory. PACCAR is a global technology leader in the design, manufacture and customer support of high-quality light, medium and heavy-duty trucks under the Kenworth, Peterbilt and DAF brands.

PACCAR also designs and manufactures advanced diesel engines, provides financial services and information technology, and distributes truck parts related to its principal business.

The factory tour will consist of a walkthrough of their main manufacturing plant and will cover all aspects of the truck building process along with the relevant history of the truck models and their applications.

A light lunch will be included for guests.

More information and details on how to register are coming soon or contact event coordinator Cara Coughey on 0438 745 552 or email: events@sae-a.com.au

For more information contact Peter Gibbons Technical Director, Vehicle Dynamics email: vehicledynamics@multimatic.com

Tour of World Class Automotive Proving Ground (rescheduled to 15 November) The Tour of World Class Automotive Proving Ground will include site history of the Australian Automotive Research Centre (AARC), a detailed presentation on their mission with an overview of their customers and unique facilities, as well as a deep dive into the centre’s future plans.

During the site tour, the manager will provide informative commentary while guests sit back on the bus and take in the extensive range of evaluation facilities provided to all vehicle and component manufacturers.

PWR Advanced Cooling Technologies Tour (POSTPONED -NEW DATE TBC) Aries Rail – Site tour of Australia’s largest road-rail vehicle manufacturer (POSTPONED - NEW DATE TBC). www.saea.com.au

VTE | 7

News | SAE

Mohammad Fard to chair APAC21 The Society of Automotive Engineers – Australasia (SAE-A), the Asia Pacific peak professional body for mobility engineering, has appointed Professor Mohammad Fard of RMIT University as Technical Chair for its APAC21 conference.

APAC21, the 21st biennial Asia Pacific Automotive Engineering Conference, will be staged in Melbourne over three days, 3-5 October 2022, on the theme of Harmonising the Future of Mobility.

“The fact that he received his PhD in Japan, and worked at Nissan as a vehicle body designer, gives him the industrial and international perspective this conference needs.”

SAE-A is hosting this international conference under the auspices of FISITA, the world body for automotive engineers.

Prof Fard earned his undergraduate and master’s degrees in mechanical engineering from the University of Tehran, and his PhD from the Tohoku University in Japan.

SAE-A President and CEO Adrian Feeney welcomed Prof Fard, who has also joined the board of SAE-A as part of his APAC21 role.

“Mohammad has a deeply impressive record as an engineer in the automotive industry and as an academic researcher, and he is a truly inspirational teacher and leader,” he said.

He then spent five years as a vehicle body CAE engineer at the Nissan Technical Centre before moving to Australia to pursue his research and teaching interests at RMIT University.

“The conference theme of Harmonising the Future of Mobility will attract global attention from students and young engineers, as well as established engineers,” he said.

but smart digital components, because this is needed in connected and autonomous cars.”

“I think the digital components are coming more into classical mechanical engineering,

APAC21 will run from 3-5 October at the Hyatt Place at Essendon Fields, Melbourne.

“Our abstract submissions and confirmed speakers are already highlighting the diversity of subject areas that can be expected at the conference,” he said.

powertrain systems, ergonomics and seating concepts, and vehicle development simulation.

development, and of course from government regulators too.

“Early subject areas for proposed presentations include digital transformation, connected vehicle technology, sustainable

“We are having strong interest expressed

by Australian and overseas leaders in both academic and industry research and

“With his wide interest in autonomous vehicle systems, and his global collaborations in industry and academia, he is the ideal person to create a vibrant, compelling conference.

APAC21 call for abstracts APAC21, the 21st biennial Asia Pacific Automotive Engineering Conference, is calling for abstracts from industry and academic presenters exploring the latest developments in connected and autonomous vehicle technology.

APAC21 technical chair Prof Mohammad Fard said the conference was already taking on its intended international flavour, with abstracts and confirmed speakers from Australia, Korea, Japan and Europe.

“As an Asia Pacific conference, we have a south-east Asian focus that other international conferences don’t usually have, and that is drawing attention from other parts of the world.”

Likely to be one of the first post-Covid international face-to-face conferences, APAC21 will be staged at the Hyatt Place in Melbourne, 3-5 October 2022.

Key dates coming up include the deadline for abstracts on Friday 15 October and the cutoff for discounted earlybird registrations on Friday 31 December 2021.

Register and submit abstracts at www.autonomous2022.com

8 | September 2021

SAE | News

Formula SAE-A goes driverless Formula SAE-A will feature at least three driverless cars for 2021 and like the Olympics, the event is now likely to take place in the year after it was originally scheduled.

With Covid restrictions making interstate travel impossible around the normal time in December, the organising committee is considering the option of running a fully physical FSAE event in early 2022, rather than a virtual event as in 2020.

There will be non-scored dynamic events for teams wishing to showcase AV capabilities.

The rules will be based on Formula Student

Germany (FSG 2020_V1.) with the local AV draft amendments to be published. Teams in

the AV category should note that all vehicles will need to comply with FSAE-A general rules and amendments, and all AVs will have to pass an additional round of scrutineering for AV specific systems.

Monash University, University of Queensland and Swinburne University of Technology all plan to have driverless vehicles at Winton Motor Raceway in the Rural City of Benalla, Victoria.

Although overseas teams may not be able to travel to and from Australia, there is still a strong field of 21 local teams planning to compete, 17 of them with electric cars.

Final dates and other details will be confirmed over the next month for what will be the 22nd Formula SAE-A event (including last year’s virtual event) since it began in 2000.

Israel’s Smart Mobility Summit 2021 The embassy of Israel in Australia is inviting Australian automotive and mobility professionals to join The Israeli Prime Minister’s Smart Mobility Summit 2021.

Organised annually since 2013 by the Smart Mobility Initiative in Israel’s Prime Minister’s Office, the Summit showcases the top minds in the field of smart mobility and transportation in Tel Aviv and online: 8-9 November 2021.

It draws more than 5,000 participants from more than 40 countries, including top policymakers, industry experts and academics, and offers thousands of B2B meeting opportunities with Israeli companies and startups.

Hot topics this year include how AI could power the future of transportation, what makes a country a ‘smart mobility nation’, how smart mobility will affect supply chains, and the importance of cybersecurity in the realm of smart mobility challenges.

Speakers include the Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, senior government ministers and officials, and industry leaders such a www.saea.com.au

Prof Amnon Shashua, President and CEO of Mobileye.

In collaboration with SAE-A, the Israel Trade and Economic Commission in Sydney (israeltrade.org.au) is inviting Australia‘s automotive and smart transportation

professionals to register and attend remotely.

Winners of the US$1 million Prime Minister’s Eric and Sheila Samson Prize for outstanding smart-mobility research will be announced at the Summit Gala.

Register at www.fuelchoicessummit.com VTE | 9

News | Auto

Briefs ZF aftermarket parts for electric vehicles

Public perception of electric vehicles can focus on the electric drivetrain, which is considered quite reliable, requiring little maintenance. The brakes and chassis systems of these cars however, can be more susceptible to damage and wear than conventional vehicles due to the stresses exerted by the extra weight of the battery. ZF Aftermarket now supports automotive workshops working on electric vehicles with an extensive range of spare parts under its LEMFÖRDER, SACHS and TRW brands.

Queensland welcomes hydrogen cars

RMIT electric team gains RS support RS Components will be supporting the RMIT Electric racing team in the Formula SAE competitions.

The RMIT Electric Racing team took the competition to the next level in 2008 and entered the first-ever electric vehicle. Every year since, Formula SAE has seen a rapid growth in the number, competitiveness and performance of electric vehicles against their combustion rivals.

RS Components is a high-service distributor of electronics, automation and control components, tools and consumables, serving more than one million customers globally.

“We are proud to support the next generation of innovators with the quality products RS Components has to offer. The team and I at

RS wish these bright minds the best of luck in this year’s race,” Managing Director of RS Components ANZ Scott Philbrook said.

Today the team counts more than 50 passionate students across a dozen faculties who demonstrate innovative thinking, initiative and commitment to the real-life commercial project.

“Our project is dependent on the valuable investment by our sponsors who allow us to advance the research and development of the team, develop cutting-edge vehicles as part of the program,” Christopher Carr, Business System Head for RMIT Electric Racing said.

Honda starts testing autonomous vehicles Hyundai has deployed five zero-emissions NEXO hydrogen fuel-cell electric vehicles into the Queensland government fleet. The deployment underlines the Queensland government’s commitment to hydrogen and complements a 20-strong ACT government NEXO fleet.

Honda will start a testing program for autonomous vehicles this month, taking a step toward an autonomous vehicle mobility service (MaaS) business in Japan, which Honda is planning to launch under collaboration with Cruise and General Motors.

NEXO has a range of 666km (WLTP) with a refuelling time of three to five minutes, in a compact SUV with ANCAP five-star safety and the latest autonomous driving capabilities and smart driving assistance systems. NEXO is the first hydrogenpowered car in Australia, from the company that pioneered the mass production FCEV.

Dana supports technicians for electric mining equipment Dana is supporting technical training for electrified mining equipment at Technical and Further Education (TAFE) of Queensland’s new electrification facility in Brisbane.

The electric heavy vehicle technical training will prepare technicians to conduct maintenance and repair activities for the growing number of highvoltage, heavy-duty electric mining vehicles.

Dana will also provide two sets of Dana TM4 SUMO motors and CO150 inverters, which are used on the Sandvik Artisan A18 battery-electric loader.

10 | September 2021

The testing program for autonomous vehicles mobility service technologies will be conducted in Utsunomiya City and Haga Town, Tochigi Prefecture.

Honda and Cruise will jointly work on the testing program, and it will be pursued at a new operations test site to be established within a Honda facility in Tochigi Prefecture.

As the first step to prepare for thorough testing, a high-definition map of the area will be created using a specialized vehicle for mapping. Once the high-definition map is ready, the autonomous vehicle, Cruise AV, will be driven on public roads to develop and test autonomous vehicles adapted to the traffic environment and the relevant laws and regulations in Japan.

Further ahead, Honda aims to launch its autonomous vehicle MaaS business in Japan using the Cruise Origin, a vehicle jointly developed by Honda, Cruise and General Motors, exclusively for autonomous vehicle mobility service businesses.

Honda Mobility Solutions, a Honda subsidiary for MaaS business, will be the operator of the business in Japan.

Auto | News

AMBY ebike BMW has called its concept version ebike AMBY which is a neologism for “adaptive mobility”. It is fitted with an electric drive system with three speed ratings for different types of roads.

The drive system enables speeds of up to 25 km/h (15.5 mph) on cycle tracks, up to 45 km/h (28 mph) on city-centre roads and up to 60 km/h (37 mph) on multi-lane roads and outside urban areas. However, insurance plates and a corresponding licence are required for the higher speeds.

Users of the BMW i Vision AMBY high-speed pedelec have to constantly pedal in order to benefit from the assistance of the electric drive system.

The BMW Group views the BMW i Vision AMBY as an attractive means of transport for the future in larger cities.

Its modern frame geometry feels like a mixture of racing bike and sporty e-bike.

The upper frame tube is crafted from four sculptural aluminium profiles.

Located just before the handlebars is the smartphone integration pad, which holds the device safely in place using magnets and ensures it is highly visible.

The battery is positioned in the centre of the frame. Its 2,000 Wh enables a range of up to 300 km (186 miles), depending on the riding mode. Thanks to fast charging technology, it recharges in only three hours.

The drive unit, which is positioned close to the pedals provides assistance when the pedals are being turned. Power transfer is by low-maintenance toothed belt, and the transmission is integrated into the drive system. A sophisticated single-sided swinging arm otherwise unique to BMW Motorrad links the rear wheel with the frame.

The rear wheel with central fastening can be released and removed easily for optimum

Lotus re-enters racing with new GT4 challenger Lotus has revealed an all-new competition-spec GT4 challenger and at its core is the company’s Emira sports car – it marks the start of an exciting new era in performance GT racing for Lotus.

Developed in collaboration with project partner RML Group, the race-ready concept is another milestone in the transformation which is taking place at Lotus.

The Lotus Emira debuted at the Goodwood Festival of Speed.

Each customer car will be a homologated performance machine, hand-built with lightweight motorsport components and equipment to meet the latest safety regulations.

The advanced composite bodywork makes the car exceptionally lightweight and, coupled with Toyota’s race-proven 3.5-litre V6 engine and optimised GT4 aerodynamics derived from the road-going Emira’s advanced exterior design, the Emira GT4 promises to be more than competitive.

ease of transportation. The wheel in the front suspension fork can likewise be removed in the classical way with a screw. The result is a compact construction, and the battery can also be removed and stored separately, which reduces load weight.

The ebike uses familiar smartphone identification functionality (facial recognition) in the same way as the Digital Key, which was introduced by the BMW Group in an automotive industry first and turns a compatible iPhone into a digital car key.

Briefs Toyota sells its 200,000th hybrid Toyota has achieved a significant milestone selling its 200,000th hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) in Australia. A total of 210,817 Toyota HEVs have been sold to the end of June 2021, led by Camry, RAV4, Corolla and Prius. It took until mid-2018 for Toyota to pass 100,000 HEV deliveries, almost 17 years after the original Prius hybrid was launched in 2001.

Hyundai scoops Red Dot Awards

The Lotus Emira GT4 will be officially launched later this year, the company aims to build a limited number for the 2022 season, increasing production for 2023 in line with global demand.

Hyundai won 16 design awards, including two ‘Best of Best’ and 14 ‘Winner’ honours, at the Red Dot Award: Brands & Communication Design 2021. Red Dot recognised Hyundai Motor’s new technology campaign ‘Little Big e-Motion’ as Best of Best in the Film & Animation category. Red Dot also recognized ‘Hyundai EV Infotainment System Jong-e’ theme design applied to IONIQ 5 as Best of Best in Interface & User Experience, the company’s first win in this category. Hyundai Motor took out 14 wins across seven categories, including Film & Animation, Interface & User Experience, Spatial Communication, Apps, Advertising, Online, and Digital Solutions.

www.saea.com.au

VTE | 11

News | Auto

Tickford, Prodrive now Premcar – a history of engineering for Australia Independent automotive engineering agency, Premcar is celebrating its 25th anniversary.

Premcar was first established as Tickford Vehicle Engineering in September 1996 as a dedicated local engineering outpost of Tickford’s operations in Australia, five years later the company was assisted Ford Australia in the production and development of special cars such as the Falcon XR series.

In 2002 it changed names again this time to Prodrive Automotive Technology following the acquisition of Tickford by the British motorsport and automotive specialists. Then in 2012 a management buyout saw it led by current engineering director Bernie Quinn.

Over 25 years Premcar and its former namesakes have helped create some of Australia’s most iconic performance cars including Ford’s GT and Falcon XR6 Turbo and more recently the Nissan Navara N-Trek Warrior and its replacement the 2021 Nissan Navara Pro 4X Warrior.

The first official project under the Tickford Vehicle Engineering banner was the development of the 30th Anniversary Ford Falcon EL GT, released in 1997. Since then, Premcar has been involved in the engineering, developing and manufacturing more than 2000 global automotive projects Premcar has assisted with the local development, conversion and manufacturing of the Ford Mustang Cobra, manufactured the locally developed turbo-charged MX-5 SP for Mazda Australia and partnered with Toyota to produce the high-performance, supercharged TRD Camry and Hilux models.

Following the closure of the local automotive manufacturing industry, Premcar expanded its horizons and this included working with defense specialists Thales on its Bushmaster and Hawkei armoured troop carriers and creating a cutting-edge helicopter for a major international brand.

“I strongly believe that Australian automotive engineers are among the best in the world, and, as professional problem solvers, Premcar’s expertise could be applied to a much broader portfolio of projects,” Mr Quinn said. “In the end, the work we completed outside of the automotive sector has been beneficial for everyone.”

Bernie Quinn

These new horizons have enabled Premcar expand its knowledge base, modular electric vehicle platform for one major brand.

Today, Premcar employs more than 180 Australians and operates from a state-of-theart 6300m2 multi-purpose facility in Victoria.

Blind Courage Record breaker Ben Felton aims for more land speed records.

Ben Felton is a record breaker in many aspects. In March 2018 he set a new blind motorcycle land speed world record of 266.72km/h on his Kawaska Ninja ZX10R on a salt lake in South Australia with the support of his navigator Kevin Magee and communications technician Paul Simpson.

without sight and break the 322km/h (200mph) barrier.

His Blind Speed team is now working on his next challenge to set a blind land speed record in a car, not just any car but an advanced electric vehicle.

His plans are to design and build a twin electric motor four-wheel drive racer in Australia with the help of his advisory panel which includes Bernie Rehon (BE Mech, MSc ID, OAM), Ben Sand (Honorary Adjunct Professor Faculty of Engineering and IT) and Ken Macken (Technical consultant).

Mr Felton is passionate about the future of autonomous driving, and he is keen to build an electric car with advanced driver assist technology to break the record by implementing the latest driver assist technology which will allow him to drive

Blind Speed is seeking interest from industry and education institutions to partner him on this exciting project which will be an opportunity to work at the cutting edge of technology and gain valuable media attention.

A Youtube video of this is at www.youtube.com/watch?v=4AmulVFPiYM

12 | September 2021

For more information on the project visit www.blindspeed.com.au or contact Bernie Fehon at bernie@blindspeed.com.au or call 0417 686 404

General | News

Turning alloy waste into valuable product

Briefs AMGC NT director

CSIRO has developed a novel process for turning inexpensive alloy waste into a high value wire product suitable for the additive manufacturing market.

The Advanced Manufacturing Growth Centre (AMGC) has expanded its team, with the appointment of respected industry advocate Charmaine Barrett to the position of director, Northern Territory (NT) for AMGC.

The team is the first in Australia to produce titanium wire this way. They used lowcost titanium alloy particulates, like machining swarf, to produce a wire that can be used to make 3D printed parts such as aerospace components.

The wire is being fine-tuned for use in large format additive manufacturing such as Sciaky electron beam manufacturing and Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing (WAAM).

These are processes that melt the wire to form beads, which stick together to create a layer of metal material that is then built up to form the 3D printed part.

The global market for titanium wire is worth more than $200 million. There is a lucrative market for 2.5mm to 3mm titanium wire as feed for this type of wire-additive

manufacturing, and the cheaper wire generated from recycled sources can also be used to produce metal powders for 3D printing.

The patented wire extrusion process, which is optimised using computational modelling, is being demonstrated to produce 50kg of titanium wire at pilot scale. The team is working to scale this up to 100-300kgs precommercial volumes over coming months.

CSIRO group leader Dr Navinda Kodege said they were thrilled to be one of the final eight teams to compete.

The six autonomous robots from CSIRO’s Data61 will need to locate and report back on items and environmental conditions throughout three underground courses.

The winner will receive US$2 million ($2.76m) to conduct further research and development, with second place awarded US$1 million ($1.38m) and third US$500,000 ($690,565). www.saea.com.au

In her new role, she will lead the joint, five-year, $8.75 million NT/AMGC program to fast-track investment and commercialisation of advanced manufacturing opportunities across the Territory.

Indigenous engineering students

Australia is well represented in various types of wire manufacturing, but until now has lacked sovereign capability in wire production for additive manufacturing.

The wire can be used to make large complex parts for markets including aerospace, biomedical, defence, marine, automotive, construction and consumer goods.

Brisbane robots represent Australia at Robotic Olympics A Brisbane-based team of robotics experts will represent Australia and the Southern Hemisphere in the world’s leading robotics competition held in the United States.

With 15-years’ industry experience, Ms Barrett joins AMGC from Industry Capability Network (ICN) where she held positions as operations manager and business development manager for the NT.

Thirty engineering-curious Indigenous students attended the annual Indigenous Australian Engineering School Camp. For the 12th year running Curtin hosted this camp on behalf of Engineering Aid Australia.

Twenty students from around WA joined for the first time, while 10 other previous participants returned for an extension program mentored by engineering professionals.

This year marks a special milestone of having First Nations engineers, both students and graduates, involved with every step of the program.

Key activities included a site visit to the BOC Gas facility, visiting the Robotics lab at Woodside, networking and careers functions with other key partner organisations and participants.

VTE | 13

News | Truck & Bus

Briefs Hyzon Hymax to be first hydrogen heavy vehicle in Australia Hyzon Motors has signed a vehicle supply agreement with Australian industrial gases company Coregas to deliver two hydrogen fuel cellpowered prime movers to New South Wales.

Victoria Bitter is turning green Victoria Bitter is going green, with the Big Cold Beer to be delivered in Melbourne via electric vehicles in a new Volvo FL all-electric truck, the first-ever electric vehicle in the Linfox fleet.

The Hyzon Hymax-450 prime movers are expected to be delivered in the first half of 2022 and mark the first hydrogen-powered heavy vehicles to operate in Australia.

The prime movers should be immediately deployed upon arrival from Hyzon’s manufacturing facility in the Netherlands.

Coregas is in the process of developing Australia’s first commercial vehicle hydrogen refuelling station at its Port Kembla facility to support both the Hyzon hydrogen-powered heavy-duty vehicles and the refuelling of trucks and buses operated by third parties.

The project represents a strategic first step in developing a broader hydrogen ecosystem.

FatigueM8 system to check driver fatigue Augmented-Intelligence based in Canberra has developed a system called FatigueM8 to monitor driver fatigue in trucks which checks in with the driver every couple of hours and decides if they need a break. It checks heart rates, behavioural changes and a host of other data via sensors built into the truck steering wheel. The driver gets a score to indicate the level of tiredness experienced with green, amber and red alerts. The system can be fitted onto existing steering wheels.

Organisational changes at IVECO

The VB truck is the first mass-produced electric truck of its size in Australia and one of more than 50 Volvo FL allelectric trucks delivered globally to date.

It will deliver 100,000+ cans and stubbies each week from Asahi Beverages’ distribution centre in Melbourne’s west.

The truck will be powered entirely by 100 percent offset solar power drawn from Asahi Beverages’ solar farm near Mildura in northern Victoria.

IVECO has announced organisational changes with the latest appointments taking effect immediately across sales, aftersales, product development and marketing.

BusTech to make electric buses for Queensland

Current Head of Sales – Truck and Van, Glen Dyer, has also assumed responsibility for the Bus and Special Vehicles portfolio. The newly created position of Head of Customer Services has been filled by Margot Baker, who previously held the role of Legal Counsel at IVECO.

Following the announcement of a strategic partnership with Keolis Downer, BusTech Group will manufacture 16 new electric buses for operation on Queensland roads.

Current IVECO Head of Network Development, Ella Letiagina’s role has been expanded to include Product and Marketing. IVECO stalwart Marco Quaranta has assumed the position of Strategic Relations and Industry Relations Manager with a focus on propulsion, while experienced IVECO Product Manager, Emiliano Foieri has been promoted to Product Management Lead.

Coach builder Irizar takes on new employees A leadership change at coach-body distributor Irizar Australia will see ex-Iveco bus employee Steve Heanes head up the Spanish manufacturer as managing director which was effective in early September. Previous MD Daniel Castro has joined Irizar in the US. 14 | September 2021

The $15.6 million deal with Keolis Downer will also create the state’s first 100 percent electric bus depot in North Lakes at Hornibrook Bus Lines.

“This deal will see the largest rollout of electric buses in Queensland to date,” Transport and Main Roads Minister Mark Bailey said. “These buses will be built right here in Queensland, at BusTech on the Gold Coast.

“The Palaszczuk Government has made a commitment that by 2025 every new urban bus we add to the fleet in SEQ will be zeroemissions, by 2030 we’ll roll that out to the rest of the urban fleet and of course we want them to be built here in Queensland.”

The investment to make the North Lakes depot fully electric and build these buses on the Gold Coast is expected to support 150 jobs over the next two years.

It’s also expected to bring more than $17 million of estimated value into the economy for local suppliers and contractors.

BusTech Queensland will manufacture the 16 Australian-designed and engineered electric buses in their facility in the Gold Coast.

The first bus is due to arrive at the North Lakes depot in September 2022, ahead of all 16 being ready for service by late 2023.

BusTech has already produced 20 buses for use in South Australia at the group’s Adelaide facility and 17 of these buses are hybrid electric.

The company employs more than 250 people in Australia and uses local engineering capabilities.

The hybrid buses have been developed with Scania. The first three hybrid buses have already rolled off the production line.

Truck & Bus | News

Volta confirms: sustainable packaging, manufacturing and testing Electric commercial vehicle maker Volta Trucks confirmed the appointment of CPC Group, Europe’s largest composite manufacturing company, to develop and supply the sustainable and recyclable composite exterior body panels for the Volta Zero.

The Volta Zero is a purpose-built fully electric 16-tonne commercial vehicle designed specifically for inner city logistics.

When the Volta Zero was launched in September 2020, it was the first commercial vehicle to use sustainably sourced flax and biodegradable resin composite panels.

The natural, lightweight, high-performance fibre is almost CO2 neutral over its lifecycle, and matches the stiffness and weight of carbon fibre but uses 75 percent less CO2 to produce.

CPC Group has more than 10 years of composites experience and has grown to become Europe’s largest composites manufacturer, employing more than 1000 experts, with investments of more than €300

million ($485m), it aims to transform composite vehicle production from niche into volume.

Meanwhile, engineering evaluation and development testing of the first prototype Volta Zero has been underway in the UK. Affectionately named ‘Volta Minus One’ by development engineers, as the forerunner to the production-specification Volta Zero, the prototype vehicle uses the proposed production specification chassis frame and drivetrain of the finished vehicle and the team will test all the electro-mechanical and thermal properties of the truck.

This includes the high-voltage battery supplied by Proterra, and the compact rear axle, electric motor and transmission eAxle unit from Meritor.

The test and development programs also include periods of cold weather testing north of the Arctic Circle, and hot weather testing in southern Europe.

Full-scale production of customerspecification vehicles will be at the end of 2022.

The first Volta Zero vehicles will be manufactured in Steyr, Austria, by Steyr Automotive, formerly MAN Truck and Bus Austria.

The announcement follows a wide-ranging competitive tender process with potential suppliers throughout Europe. Steyr Automotive was appointed based on its extensive experience of commercial vehicle manufacturing, existing manufacturing infrastructure and consequent speed to market.

The confirmation of the manufacturing partnership forms an integral part of the Volta Trucks Road-to-Zero Emissions strategy, released in May 2021.

The strategy sees four Volta Zero models ranging from 7.5 to 19 tonnes, with more than 27,000 units built per year by 2025.

Additional global manufacturing plants are also already under consideration.

Polaris Goupil G4 Recent reports in online motoring publications The Driven and Drive suggest that a new electric micro truck is about to hits the streets in Australia.

The Goupil G4 is apparently undergoing approval and according to Drive parent company Polaris says it will go on sale later this year or early next year depending on delivery times from overseas.

Polaris is widely known in Australia for its quad bikes and this vehicle is not very much bigger with the short wheelbase M version just 3600mm long and the long wheelbase L version 4150mm.

With a possible 30 modular attachments the vehicle can be configured for uses in waste collection, refrigeration, pick up and as a last mile delivery vehicle as well as many others.

The G4 is power by an electric motor with a single speed transmission and is not particularly quick with a top speed of just www.saea.com.au

under 50km/h and a range of only 135 kilometres.

According to the French Groupil site the G4 is designed with an ultra-robust steel chassis on which rests an aluminium cabin, the batteries are positioned in the middle.

This structure together with the propulsion choice offers a residual payload of more than one ton.

It is equipped with McPherson suspension at the front and with composite blades at the back and a double circuit brake system.

VTE | 15

News | Defence & Aero

Briefs Defence seeks industry input The Department of Defence is seeking input from industry and academia on the Sovereign Guided Weapons and Explosive Ordnance (GWEO) Enterprise to secure Australia’s sovereign defence capabilities. Feedback is also being sought regarding potential roles that organisations could play to assist the Commonwealth and Department of Defence in delivering the $1 billion GWEO Enterprise. This Enterprise will provide significant opportunities in advanced manufacturing for Australian small to medium sized businesses.

University of SA lands laser contract The University of South Australia has landed a $1.8 million government contract to develop technology that underpins the next generation of high-powered lasers in Australia, for the defence and manufacturing sectors. University of South Australia professor of Laser Engineering David Lancaster will lead the threeyear project, funded by the Defence Science and Technology Group (DSTG), in collaboration with the University of Adelaide.

Sydney universities co-host space research The University of Sydney (USYD) and the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) will co-host a new NSW Space Research Network at Tech Central and supported by $1.4 million in funding from the NSW government. The NSW Space Research Network builds on the release of the NSW Space Industry Development Strategy, minister for Jobs, Investment, Tourism and Western Sydney Stuart Ayres said. “This investment will bring together universities, industry and government to tackle space challenges, translate vital research into commercial space products, attract investment, upskill graduates and drive growth in high-tech jobs,” Minister Ayres said.

Second rocket launch pad for SA Commonwealth approval has been granted for a second rocket launch facility licence, awarded to space company Southern Launch in South Australia. The licence will enable Southern Launch to establish a sub-orbital rocket testing facility at Whalers Way, 680km west of Adelaide. If tests are successful, the site could be used for much larger orbital rocket launches in the future. This is an essential step forward in establishing Australia’s commercial launch capabilities 16 | September 2021

Ventia wins Project Land 8120 Ventia has secured a contract with the Department of Defence, Capability Acquisition and Sustainment Group (CASG), to deliver engineering support platforms for the Australian Defence Force (ADF), under Project Land 8120 Phase 1.

The contract will generate revenue to Ventia of $158 million over five years.

Ventia has brought together a team of equipment partners including JCB/CEA, Manitou, Liebherr Mobile Cranes, Komatsu and ECLIPS, and systems engineering specialist, QinetiQ, to offer the full breadth of services sought by the ADF. Phase 1 involves Ventia leading a team of equipment manufacturers and local engineering specialists, to supply approximately 300 earthmoving and material handling vehicles. Minor modifications will occur to meet specialist requirements such as air transportation.

Vehicles will undergo a rigorous verification and validation process to ensure that specific Defence requirements are met.

Where required, specialist testing will be undertaken at the Australian Automotive Research Centre proving ground near Anglesea in regional Victoria before introduction into service.

Ventia will also provide vital integrated logistics support, develop operating manuals, maintenance specifications and other technical documentation, and deliver operator training at Defence sites nationally.

Developments in electric aircraft eVTOL Drive System Design is helping to determine future propulsion systems for electric aircraft with the objective of the AePOP project to develop a toolchain that brings critical performance development into the very earliest stages of electrified propulsion system design in aerospace.

The initial study in the UK has been aimed at small eVTOL (Electric Vertical Take-Off and Landing) vehicles with a payload of 150-400kg and the optimisation process can also be applied to autonomous drones as well as regional and sub-regional aircraft.

“The demand for non-contact deliveries is growing, including the delivery of medical supplies catalysed by the COVID-19 crisis, and eVTOLs could be a significant DSD’s modular ePropulsion system for eVTOLs part of the future solution. They offer the opportunity to reduce traffic on our roads, improve our air quality and potentially reduce delivery costs,” said John Morton, Drive System Design engineering director.

The key enabler to this process is the detailed characterisation of subsystems and components, which allows the process to model complete propulsion system variants for simulation.

“In our experience, the industry is hesitant to use transmissions for aerospace systems due to the perceived additional weight and servicing challenges,” Mr Morton said. “During the course of the project, the benefits of transmissions in electrified systems became clear in detail. When designed using a whole system approach, the use of a transmission can significantly reduce weight and cost. Therefore, the challenge becomes one of implementing these designs in such a way as to meet all the appropriate durability and service requirements.”

The company aims to make its progress on the aerospace application available to the wider industry in due course.

Overseas | News

Chile to produce eFuels Porsche and Siemens Energy have joined forces with a number of international companies to build an industrial plant for the production of nearly CO2-neutral fuel (eFuel) in Punta Arenas, Chile.

A pilot plant is initially being built north of Punta Arenas in Chilean Patagonia, which is expected to produce around 130,000 litres of eFuels in 2022. The capacity will then be expanded in two stages to around 55 million litres by 2024, and around 550 million litres by 2026.

Siemens Energy has also already started preparatory work for the next major commercial phase of the project.

Porsche will be using the eFuels in its own combustion engine vehicles.

“Fuels produced with renewable energy can make a contribution to this. Our icon, the 911, is particularly suited to the use of eFuels.

But so are our much-loved historic vehicles, because around 70 percent of all Porsche

Chicago Auto Show 2021 Photos

sports cars ever built are still on the road today. Our tests with renewable fuels are going very successfully. eFuels will make it possible to reduce fossil CO2 emissions in combustion engines by up to 90 percent. Among other things, we’ll be using the first fuel from Chile in our Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup racing cars from 2022,” Michael Steiner, Member of the Executive Board for Research and Development at Porsche AG, said.

Chile has set itself ambitious targets as part of its National Green Hydrogen Strategy. It plans an electrolyser capacity of 5 gigawatts (GW) by 2025, rising to 25 GW by 2030.

The aim is to produce the world’s cheapest hydrogen and develop the country into a leading exporter of green hydrogen and its derivatives.

Drivers of Change Autocar has revealed the expert panel of judges who will decide the winners of this year’s Drivers of Change initiative with the winning candidates to be announced at the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) annual dinner on 23 November 2021.

The judges will choose the three winners of this year’s Drivers of Change initiative, with each taking home a prize of £5000 ($9415) and receiving expert mentoring to develop their ideas and automotive careers.

Launched in partnership with executive search specialists Ennis & Co, Drivers of Change aims to identify and promote new talent across three key automotive sectors; Technology, Digital and Retail.

With no prior experience required, the initiative is open for everyone from school leavers to those already working in the industry. Entries for Drivers of Change remain open.

To pick this year’s winners, Autocar and Ennis & Co have sourced 14 expert judges across the UK’s automotive sector. They are: • •

Ian Constance – CEO, Advanced Propulsion Centre UK Alistair Horsburgh – CEO, CitNOW

www.saea.com.au

• • • • • • • • • • •

Alison Fisher – HR Director, Cox Automotive International Leon Hurst – CEO Mobility, IMS (Insurance & Mobility Solutions) Clare Wright – Group HR Director, Jardine Motors Group David Krajicek – CEO, JATO Dynamics Daksh Gupta – Group CEO, Marshall Motor Holdings plc Simon Lacey – Head of Advanced Engineering, McLaren Automotive Ltd John Murphy – Managing Director, Pivotal Subscription by Jaguar Land Rover Louise Hardman – Head of Marketing, Polestar UK Jodie Williams – Head of Diversity and Inclusion, Sytner Group Lisa Fielden – Senior Manager Digital Strategy, Toyota GB Penny Weatherup – HR Director, Volkswagen Group UK

Simon Lacey – Head of Advanced Engineering, McLaren Automotive Ltd

•

Gemma Denes – People and Competence Director, Volvo Cars UK

Alongside the sponsor representatives will be guest judges James Cameron, Founder and CEO of Mission Motorsport and Gordon Murray, Founder of Gordon Murray Design.

These automotive experts will assist in selecting the three chosen winners.

VTE | 17

Feature | SAE Electric

Sea Change SEA Electric a home-grown competitor making waves in the global electric truck environment

Overseas there’s a huge push underway with electric vehicles, including electric trucks and SEA Electric is an Australian company ensuring Australia is a pivotal part of that push and while it may seem a new company it was in fact founded by Tony Fairweather almost 10 years ago.

Then it was trialling, developing, testing and gathering the intellectual resources it needed as a start -up, now while its roots remain in Australia it has spread to the US with its HQ in Los Angeles and other facilities in Des Moines and Iowa in the US, as well as Melbourne Australia, Auckland New Zealand, Bangkok Thailand and Vienna Austria.

“The pivot to the US started probably three years ago now. And it’s one of the largest markets on Earth,” Glen Walker, Regional Director Oceania, SEA Electric said.

“There’s a very heavy focus on electric vehicles, and a very welcoming political environment around those electric vehicles.

So, it was natural that the business would concentrate an ever-increasing part of its resources in that market. That market is between 10 and 15 times larger than Australia.”

The market is so important that the company recently injected US$42 million ($58m) to add assembly capacity creating a potential for around 60,000 units per year. Further US assembly, including in the area of batteries, is expected to come about in the near future.

SEA Electric’s California-based headquarters has the largest capability and the addition of a Des Moines Technical Centre and planned offices in Chicago, Brooklyn and Miami represents SEA Electric’s commitment to the market.

“There’s a huge opportunity for electric trucks to thrive in North America, as there is in Europe and Asia, and quite frankly, across the across the globe,” Mr Walker said.

Glen Walker, Regional Director Oceania, SEA Electric

18 | September 2021

“We have formal operations in North America, New Zealand, Australia, Thailand and in Europe. So that the company has a footprint that you could argue is quite global. We have also sold vehicles or developed vehicles in many other countries.”

Australian engineering with a hefty nod to the US Predominately SEA’s trucks have been the result of work completed by Australian engineers, with manufacturing facilities in Dandenong, Victoria as well as a range of facilities in the US with a footprint in Iowa, California and soon also in Illinois and Florida.

In Australia the company employs around 50 staff, with another 50 staff in the US but the US footprint is growing rapidly and will soon exceed Australia’s numbers. Around 25 percent of the workforce both in Australia and overseas is made up of degree qualified engineers; mechanical, electrical, software and mechatronic.

“And it’s not just an engineering role in an automotive company. It’s an engineering role in a very future focused automotive company,” Mr Walker explained.

“In Australia, we are now an original equipment manufacturer. We have our own compliance plate and our own brand, a national dealer network, our own pricing and sales and service. We have become a truck company.”

At Australia’s largest truck event, the Brisbane Truck Show which was held in May this year the company showcased its full range of electric trucks for the first time.

“Our own SEA-badged trucks, including the SEA 300 EV and SEA 500 EV in Australia, are

SAE Electric | Feature

derived from OEM Semi Knock-Down kits, creating further efficiencies to pass on to our customer base whilst supporting rapid OEM expansion into this segment,” founder Tony Fairweather said at the event.

The company’s three medium-size EV truck models are sold through a dozen authorised dealers in Australia, while more than 220 US dealers are available to support the North American market.

www.saea.com.au

Mr Walker explained the commercial arrangement as a Semi Knock Down (SKD) Assembly Operation creating SKD ‘Glider’ kits, a first-of-its kind three-way process that begins with the cab, frame rails, wheels and axle components arriving in Australia in containers from Japan, and upon arrival assembled to provide a rolling chassis to support the appropriate proprietary SEADrive® power system to create a completely

assembled SEA Electric-branded vehicle.

The vehicles are then ready for distribution.

But it is their SKD assembly operation’s efficiency that creates a real gamechanger for SEA Electric. With consistency of assembly, and a process that provides multiple efficiencies, there is little waste, often eliminating extra componentry that previously would have been discarded in other retrofitting processes.

VTE | 19

Feature | SAE Electric

SEA Electric’s expanding truck range The Brisbane Truck Show highlighted five new SEA Electric branded truck models, including the launch of the SEA 300-45 EV and the SEA 300-85 EV. Both models are fully ADR compliant and assembled in Melbourne for Australian distribution.

SEA Electric’s proprietary SEA-Drive® power-systems come in a variety of configurations for all-electric models with a GVM range of 4.5t through to 26t each designed for 3,000 charge cycles based on a full overnight charge, if applied five days per week that can result in optimum performance for 10 years.

All up SEA has five models built on two different platforms.

The 300 Series vehicles from 4.5 to 8.5 tonnes are joined by the 500 Series vehicles which are available from 14.5 tonnes all the way up to 22.5 tonnes. They are either two or three axle rigids. Within this there are five battery sizes and five electric motors which can be mixed and matched to suit the application.

SEA’s newest release is its 300-45 model which is designed, engineered and assembled in Australia. Its car licence driver rating means it will open up a whole new buyer profile as well as uses for last mile deliveries.

With its batteries and power-system positioned away from the steer axle this truck has improved weight distribution and optimised driving dynamics which are important points for this sector.

There is no doubt that in Australia electric is mainly for shorter haul of around 200 kilometres a day and best suited to densely populated cities, so a fast charger is always available.

“Our trucks are unique in the EV world in that they come equipped with a charging system already installed that charges 22 kilowatts per hour off a standard three phase plug. The fast charge charges at 88 kilowatts per hour,” Mr Walker said.

“So, the time to refuel a vehicle depends upon the capacity of the battery. It’s not linear, the time does slow as it gets to beyond 80 percent full, the remaining 20 percent takes longer to fill.

“You can basically say the time to 80 percent charge is 88 kilowatt/hours times the capacity of the battery to that 80 percent timeline. So, if the battery is, let’s say 100 kilowatt/ hours, the 80 percent charge would be approximately an hour.”

Electric vehicle constraints have not been holding back potential buyers especially those that the company says are ‘best categorized by first mile or last mile’ vehicles where they are used to pick up freight. Examples of uses for the vehicle are refuse collection, last mile deliveries and delivery to customers such as the home delivery of food.

Every municipality, and there are 600 in Australia, have requirements for service vehicles for parks and gardens, poles and wires, footpaths, and general maintenance vehicles. These return to base every day and these are where SEA Electric is seeing a very large take up as they not only do the fit the bill in terms of function, reliability, ease of service and quiet operation but they show the community the municipality’s green credentials.

20 | September 2021

SAE Electric | Feature

Expanding the horizon Sales in Australia are going well, very well as more companies and government institutions realise the potential of SEA Electric trucks which means the company is outgrowing its current facilities in Dandenong South, though the company does have remote staff across Australia. Design, engineering and assembly operations remain at Dandenong and Mr Walker said that there are active plans to at least double the size of the current facility in the coming months.

There was also talk about expanding into other areas with the company’s electric know-how such as lighter duty commercial vehicles like vans or perhaps even some type of passenger transport.

The only comment forthcoming from Mr Walker was watch this space, so there may be lighter issues to discuss in the future, likewise there may be something in the future of a heavier nature as well.

“At the moment, battery electric technology only is not really suited to high GVM high kilometre vehicles. And we’re focusing very much on battery electric vehicles at the moment,” Mr Walker said. “But I can assure you we are in the early stages of looking at range extending devices for those battery electric vehicles.

“There is very little development currently being conducted on diesel or petrol technology engines and that has been decided by car and truck manufacturers worldwide. The future is some form of zero emission technology. So right now, the best example of that is electric.” www.saea.com.au

VTE | 21

Feature | ACE EV

Enter the Transformers ACE EV’s radical technology enters a new phase Transformers were once toys but now they will become a reality thanks to an Australian company that refers to itself more as an energy and software company than an outright car maker – ACE EV. “We are a focused energy and software company with a Mobile Energy Management System (MEMS) that delivers new ways for energy and transport to work together,” ACE EV MD Mr McGarvie said. “Our focus is to produce something that’s inexpensive and provides new revolutionary manufacturing flexibility.”

On 15 September 2021 ACE launched its first Transformer the V1 which is a modular platform with seven permutations. The launch was facilitated by the SAE-A and moderated by Sam Laggozzino in what is today’s format de jour – the Zoom webinar.

On hand were Greg McGarvie managing director of ACE EV and Adam Schultz team lead for the project.

The V1 Transformer is the fourth iteration of the vehicle and according to Mr McGarvie it is by no means the final version as he expects changes before it goes into production. The V1 Transformer will be operational ready for a trial next year.

22 | September 2021

It is aimed squarely at major fleets around the world as an integrated energy, transport and communications system with architecture that offers interchangeable modules in long and short wheelbase with a high or low roof, or as a van or ute. These modules can be changed in just 15 minutes.

For busy freight companies the V1 enables them to fit a pre-packed module straight onto its electric platform and be on the road in 15 minutes. One platform can carry whatever cargo module is required – be it van or ute, high or low roof – so it is constantly earning its keep, whatever each individual freight mission may be.

One of the outstanding things about this vehicle is that it isn’t just another electric vehicle it is also a portable source of energy, one that can take from the grid but also give back, likewise it can be used as a battery to power other objects. As an example, it can be used as an emergency vehicle that can attend a site and enable lights or equipment to be powered from it. Or if you find yourself at home in a blackout, the vehicle can power a house for up to three days, or if you’re a tradie you can power electric tools from the vehicle.

ACE EV | Feature

Electric charging and range Because the intention of ACE EV is to market the vehicle worldwide it is designed to be recharged anywhere including via a normal power point so it can plug-in at home without any additional set up, or at a charge station or using three-phase power.

“I get asked all the time about range, I get asked all the time about speed. With our vehicle the range is basically linked to the battery size and the speed is optimised by software settings,” Mr McGarvie said.

The range will be around 250 to 300 kilometres with a maximum speed of 110km/h and a carrying capacity of around 1000kg in a space of around six cubic metres.

www.saea.com.au

“One of the things we are looking for with the Transformer is to reduce range anxiety … it will have a swap-able battery service, which is very handy for fleets and ambulances,” Mr McGarvie said.

“The batteries can sit at a charging station at the depot, the vehicle comes in swaps the box (the rear van box) and swaps the battery.”

V1 will be using a lithium phosphate battery, which according to ACE EV is one of the more stable batteries.

“The main thing that’s probably worth mentioning here is because of the way we’ve designed the car from a physical perspective, but also an electrical and the computer perspective we’re very flexible,” Mr Schultz said.

VTE | 23

Feature | ACE EV

“So, the way we’ve designed the vehicle the batteries will be modular in the way they are put in, so we can fairly easily swap out one chemistry for another.

“And then also in terms of the way the battery management and orchestration of all the energy services run, it’s a relatively straightforward exercise to swap them out. That was done deliberately because batteries are evolving so quickly... We didn’t want to paint ourselves into a corner.”

Bi-directional transfer technology A key feature of the V1 Transformer platform is its advanced V2G (vehicle-to-grid) technology which connects it via the Cloud to telematics, software updates, emergency power and ACE’s pioneering Smart Energy Wallet.

Before the V1 goes into production the company is running trials in Australia.

24 | September 2021

“The trial that we’re undertaking is a really interesting one,” explained Mr Schultz. “One of the features of the ACE vehicle is they do what’s called bi-directional charging. Conventional electric vehicles obviously need to be charged from the grid.

“One of the things that will be unique about what we’re bringing to the market is it’s going to be able to charge, obviously, and charge in a smart way. But it can also discharge into the grid.

It provides a way of making money to offset operating costs or even the purchase cost of the vehicle.”

Mr Schultz added that there is a substantial amount of computing power inherent in the vehicle and it is more akin to a robot than a conventional car so that one of the things that can be integrated is processing. It does machine learning and optimisation to get the best out of the battery to accommodate the style of driving or vehicle use.

ACE EV | Feature

“Our Advanced Australian Vehicle-To-Grid (AAV2G) project will deliver bi-directional transfer between vehicle, building and grid with integrated on-board energy metering,” he said.

“The system will enable the V1 Transformer to power an entire home or business, with the vehicle battery storing energy from rooftop solar cells or from the grid.

“It can charge when the sun shines, provide night-time energy needs, supply emergency power when needed, feed back into the grid and, of course, run the vehicle itself.”

The bi-directional charger system will be adaptable, and it will be available within 12 to 18 months for use in other vehicles, in other words you would be able to integrate it into different electric vehicles.

Manufacturing with a smaller footprint “The technology we’re developing has been done with a consortium of local and international partners. But all of the design and testing has been done in Australia. So, we have some very interesting stuff going on here,” Mr Schultz added.

The smart cell manufacturing employed by ACE means that the car can be built using around one third the energy footprint of existing cars and up to 50 percent lighter; both are key to keeping the cost of the vehicle low in up-front costs and running costs.

“The skeleton has 14 bones chemically welded and there’s carbon fibre composite.

And once they’re together that cage is actually stronger than the equivalent metal and, of course, much lighter. The total vehicle itself has got about 70 components not counting the drivetrain and batteries,” Mr McGarvie said. “To build the vehicle is far simpler than a traditional vehicle.”

A lot of vehicles are seen as consumable items these days. ACE EV says it is looking at things in a far more holistic manner, and because of its modular design it can extract a longer life from the materials that are being used.

What this means is that you can change the skin of the V1 during its life, so it becomes a new and different vehicle. It will evolve with the times so that the vehicle you have today can have a completely different look in five or 10 years’ time.

And it won’t be just skin deep as the car is more like a big computer on wheels, so it will get upgrades and be constantly modernised with feature enhancements – these are things that are not possible with a traditional vehicle. www.saea.com.au

Trials and phases ACE EV has just won $5 million in Federal Government funding through the strong advocacy of South Australian Senator Rex Patrick for its energy management trial to start early next year using the V1 Transformer as its test platform.

The $5m will be divided up into device development and V1 development.

There are three main phases to the vehicle’s development.

Phase 1 is now – it’s building up the core tech. This will be vehicle-to-load not vehicleto-grid.

Phase 2 – then it’s the grid integration part.

Phase 3 – is when there will be five vehicles with bi-directional charging and the trial of those vehicles.

Australian industry gets onboard There will be an opportunity for Australia’s component supply chain to also gain from the V1 as potential suppliers will be asked to quote on supplying components for the vehicle and the company hopes that by 2050 more than 50 percent of the vehicle will be Australian made products.

As a pointer to the interest that this project has already sparked, Optus asked ACE EV if it could join the team.

Now Optus will be managing the 5G robotics communications for the manufacturing plant and the comms side with the vehicle to grid solution, and its cyber security.

“One of the things we’re very keen to do is bring a lot of the IP into Australia, have the design done in Australia,” Mr Schultz said.

“As someone who has worked overseas for many years it frustrated me that I had to go overseas to get opportunities to do fun and exciting things.

“I think it would be really great if we could bring some of those opportunities here.

“One of the big motivators for me is to bring some of those people in and create some real intellectual property. And build some capability here because there’s no reason why this stuff should be done offshore. We’ve got great universities, we’ve got a lot of very skilled people, we should be taking advantage of that.”

VTE | 25

Feature | Kevin Kearney

PACCAR Engineering New Talent Unlikely as it seems, working for Woolies led Kevin Kearney to find his ideal job in engineering Kevin worked at Woolworths supermarket across the road from PACCAR on Canterbury Road in Bayswater, Victoria while he studied for his engineering degree and, as he said, he would often look across at the development and expansion of the company.

“I was at uni, and probably like a lot of students I had a part time job. At the time I was working at Woolies, the supermarket across from PACCAR,” Kevin explained. “I was doing an engineering degree and with companies leaving Australia, I was a little bit worried about what manufacturing and the automotive industry would look like in the future.

“Because I worked across the road, I could see PACCAR continued to expand and was clearly thriving in the industry. I figured that meant a sustainable workplace. And I knew it would be a good place to work.”

Kevin had ample time to study PACCAR’s progress as he chose to complete a three-year science degree before a two-year Master’s in Engineering at Melbourne University. The Master’s degree was a practical based degree according to Kevin, and not your typical theoretical degree.

One day as Kevin says, he worked up the courage to walk across the road and knock on the door, and was directed to HR. “That’s where I found out about the PACCAR graduate program. I was told the program was four years, where graduates do four 12-month rotations in different parts of the business. It sounded like a long time, but I was also excited by this, because it would give me the chance to learn different things, especially just coming out of uni.

“And I think being able to rotate through different positions and really get a broad overview of how the business works and how everything links together, was exciting.

“After that, I buckled down and I made sure I worked hard in my remaining two years and then applied to PACCAR.” Near the end of his final year, Kevin was offered a position in the PACCAR graduate program, which he grabbed with both hands as it meant he was able to use his degree in the area of work he hoped to be working in.

26 | September 2021

“It’s definitely an exciting area, which I was hoping to get into. I’d seen a lot of mechanical based applications in Australia receding. But heavy-duty truck manufacturing is thriving, so I was excited to get to be a part of it, to be a part of the automotive aspects of engineering,” he said.

Coming straight out of university into an engineering environment can be confronting if you don’t have the right leadership and guidance, which is why the PACCAR program is so important. While university teaches you how to tackle engineering challenges and to use analytical thinking, the real-world environment can test a young engineer.

“I think coming into the graduate program, where the company puts you in proper roles, not just roles to keep grads busy is a great introduction.

“For me, at least, coming into my first position, I got to experience a lot of different options, understanding how build materials work for the product, and things like all the different combinations and options on a truck and how they are configured together.

“It’s really exciting to see the actual product, to see manufacturing of a truck happening right outside the window. It’s not something everyone gets to see, you know, the fruits of your work, that product that you’re working on, seeing it actually roll out the door.”

Kevin’s first role was as a product release writer, which meant when a truck order came though he was to validate the different options in the correct order because every truck is custom built. A product release writer validates the options with the engineering bill of materials and confirms the order has what it requires and what it needs to be built.

“You are tasked with making sure the manufacturing line gets the products on time, gets all the correct materials and the truck is buildable. You also work with the engineers if there’s any options that conflict with each other, for example, and smooth those out,” Kevin said.

Throughout the four-year graduate journey Kevin said he had managers and engineers always ready to help and mentor where he needed, and he continues that himself now he has a graduate working under his guidance.

Kevin Kearney | Feature

“I’m actually a supervisor myself now, and I have a graduate in my area, and having come through the program, I definitely try and offer advice,” he said.

“My last rotation was in the first area that I worked in as a graduate. So, I was really able to bring my experience from that first year, and then also experience from the other departments that I gained over the years to become a supervisor in that area: I’m an engineering operations supervisor.”

Earlier work that really stood out for Kevin was in the aftersales area as he said that the people there had so much knowledge and experience in trucks, they were brilliant at troubleshooting any issues or problems.

“I got to go out with one of the managers there for a week to visit some of the customers and really get to see how the products are used and how much the customers love the product and to get their feedback and experience with our trucks.

www.saea.com.au

“That was really interesting to see, I really enjoyed that aspect for sure.”

Kevin has been mainly working with the Kenworth product but says that now with the introduction of the building of DAF product at the Bayswater plant he expects to be moving into that area.

DAF trucks are being built as SKD kits at PACCAR but that may change in the future.

DAF and Kenworth complement each other as one has applications in short haul city or regional work with medium to heavy duty trucks while the other is a longer haul heavy duty truck.

In these changing times hydrogen and electric trucks are already being introduced into the Australian trucking scene and that’s something that needs to be addressed with engineers. At the moment, that technology is coming out of the US, but Kevin expects that in Australia PACCAR will build on that technology and develop it, or engineer it to suit our environment.

“I’m definitely intrigued to see what’s coming.

And I think environmental considerations, technology or technological changes are going to push the boundaries of what’s possible. And in terms of big data and better performance, better customer offerings to the market, I think that’s going to be something that will be an exciting change. For myself I’m interested in how data can shape the philosophy.

“I’m studying a graduate certificate in data science, so I’m looking into this and telematics.

“We have multiple training courses, multiple development courses available to us as well. I mean, it’s not just an engineering, for example there’s communication, leadership and then there’s also support for future study as well, such as postgraduate study,” he said.

For Kevin working in Woolies led him to find his niche in engineering and that niche was made even more inviting with PACCAR’s graduate program.

VTE | 27

Feature | Technical

Tomas Mickevičius, University of Applied Engineering Sciences, Lithuania

Evaluation of effects of biofuels blends on performance and emissions of diesel engine ABSTRACT 1. Introduction In 1988, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) countries decided to simplify the delivery of petroleum products to the combat zone and improve the interoperability of aircraft and land equipment with JP-8 (F-34) military kerosene. In order to put this decision into practice, the NATO Pipeline Committee (NPC) adopted the Single Fuel Policy (SFP) in 2004. The US legislation on the “One Fuel Delivery Policy” stipulates that US military ground vehicles used must be able to work with aviation fuel (JP-8). JP-8 petroleum-based fuel is very similar in specification to the commercially available Jet A-1 fuel. Jet A1 fuel is a light distillate of complex hydrocarbons such as 50-65% paraffins, 10-20% aromatics and 20-30% naphthenes [1]. Jet (JP-8) fuel is a military kerosene turbine fuel made from civilian (Jet A-1) fuel and widely used by the United States Air Force and Europe. Aviation turbine fuel is extracted almost exclusively from the kerosene fraction of crude oil, the distillation points of which are between the gasoline fraction and the diesel fraction.

The cetane number of a fuel is one of the most important factorsvaffecting the autoignition quality in diesel engines. It was foundvthat the JP-8 and ULSD with similar CN have highly comparable combustion characteristics in a DI compression ignition engine and CN is the paramount characteristic in comparing these fuels.

Authors investigate effects of diesel fuel (B5), turbine type JP-8 fuel and its 5 vol%, 10 vol%, 20 vol%, and 30 vol% blends with rapeseed oil methyl ester (RME) on the start of injection, ignition delay, combustion history, heat release, engine performance, and exhaust emissions. The engine performance parameters were examined at light 15% (1400 rpm) and 10% (2200 rpm), medium 50%, and high 100% loads and the two speeds.

They found that the autoignition delay and maximum heat release rate decreased, maximum cylinder pressure, and pressure gradients increased, whereas brake specific fuel consumption changed little and brake thermal efficiency was 1.0–3.6% higher when running with fuel blends J5 to J30 at rated speed compared with the data measured with neat jet fuel. The NOx emissions increased slightly, but the CO, THC emissions, and smoke opacity boosted up significantly when using jet fuel blend J10 with a smooth reduction of unburned hydrocarbons for jetbiodiesel fuel blends with higher CN ratings.

Operation at a full (100%) load with fuel blend J10 produced more CO and exhaust smoke, whereas the combustion of identical fuel blend 28 | September 2021

B10 showed the reverse trends reducing both pollutants at both engine speeds [2].

Using fuel blends with the higher content of biodiesel changes the technical properties of the fuel: increase density, viscosity, decrease calorific value, cetane number, freezing temperature, etc. These indicators have the impact on the biofuel supply and injection characteristics, the quality of the combustible mixture that, in turn, has influence on diesel engine performance and ecological indicators [3].

Ethanol, methanol, and butanol are currently the most popular alcoholic fuels used in internal combustion engines around the world. Higher oxygen content in alcoholic fuels than that in mineral fuels may result in lower calorific value of the biofuels. However, these fuels need less air-borne oxygen to burn to burn the fuel completely and thus can contribute better quality of the environment.

The elemental composition of alcoholic fuels makes it possible to reduce the amount of smoke (soot), carbon monoxide CO, carbon dioxide CO2 and aldehydes emitted from diesel engine [4]. A study conducted a comparative analysis of performance and emissions characteristics of aviation fuel (Jet A-1) and butanol/Jet A-1 fuel (B10) blend.

Authors found that the fuel consumption and specific fuel consumption is slightly higher for blend with butanol, compared to Jet A-1 fuel. This is due to the fact, that lower calorific value for fuel blend. The values of carbon monoxide (CO), carbon dioxide (CO2) and nitrogen oxides (NOx) emissions for fuel B10 blend were slightly lower, compared to the cases of using Jet A-1 fuel [5]. Normal butanol (C4H9OH – 74.0 g/mol) is an alcoholic-origin colourless liquid with a harsh fusel with banana odour, which possess 21.58 wt% of fuel-bound oxygen and differs as having low flash point of 28.9 °C and the boiling point of 117.7 °C at 760 mm Hg. On the one part, n-butanol added to commercial diesel fuel reduces density, viscosity, C/H atoms ratio and provides fuel-bound oxygen that along with good evaporative properties improves both the air and fuel vapours mixing rate and the combustion of fuel blend leading to more environment friendly exhaust. On the other part, the presence of a lighter and oxygenated n-butanol reduces the cetane number, net heating value and thus mass of the fuel consumed per unit of energy developed by an engine. The sensitive interaction between advantages and disadvantages properties of n-butanol added to diesel fuel may lead to ambiguous development trends combustion, heat release rate and engine out emissions [6]. Moreover, the use of bio-based products

Growth of the economy and living standards of the population increase the need of people’s and goods transportation by sea, railroads, the air, and highways. As a result, increases the need to use more ships, trains, airplanes, heavy-duty trucks, self-powered machines, city busses, and light-duty passenger cars. Unavoidably increases the demand of the fuel to be consumed, however the natural oil-resources are largely exhausted over hundreds of years. Moreover, the increased consumption of a fossilorigin fuel creates the urgent environment pollution problems and climate change. The automotive air-pollution problem emerged already aim of this article was to investigate the influence of three-component fuel on the efficiency and emission performance of a diesel engine. The results obtained during the research are presented, which are investigated with a single-cylinder diesel engine “ORUVA F1L511”. The study examines diesel fuel and fuel blends J5Bu5, J5Bu10 and J5Bu15. The results obtained in the study are comparable. Engine load characteristics were recorded at n = 2000 rpm. The study found that the lowest carbon monoxide (CO) emissions (163ppm) were obtained by using J5Bu5 fuel blend.

Maximum nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions were obtained with the engine running on diesel fuel (1839ppm). The lowest NOx emission was obtained with the engine running on a three-component J5Bu15 fuel blend (1643ppm). The highest opacity was obtained when the engine was fuelled with 100% diesel fuel and at full load.

KEYWORDS: DIESEL ENGINE, RAPESEED OIL BIODIESEL, AVIATION FUEL, BUTANOL, PERFORMANCE, EMISSIONS, SMOKE OPACITY in fuels is a strategic government resolution in most European countries [7]. The analysis of other works investigations of fuel chemical parameters shows, that from an enginecritical characteristics perspective butanol – hydrogenated vegetable oil – diesel blends are a potential solution [4].

Authors investigate and compare effects of biodiesel-ethanol (BE) and biodiesel-n-butanol (BBu) blends on combustion, performance and emissions of a direct-injection diesel engine. Experiments were conducted on BE5 (5% ethanol and 95% biodiesel, v/v), BE10, BE15, BBu5, BBu10 and BBu15, at five engine loads and at 1800 rpm. They found that blended fuels have adverse effects on engine performance especially at low load, with the

Technical | Feature

Property parameters JP-A1 Density at 15°C, kg/m3 797.2 Kinematic viscosity at 4.0 40 °C, mm2/s Lubricity, corrected wsd, 611 1.4 1m at 60°C Cetane number 42.3 Oxygen content, max wt. % – Carbon-to-hydrogen ratio (C/H) 6.13 Net heating value, MJ/kg 43.30 Stoichiometric air/fuel ratio, kg/kg 11.84

RME n-butanol 884.7 802 4.8 2.63 205

591

53.4 10.9 6.48 37.23 12.62

25 21.58 4.80 33.08 11.2

Table 1. Properties of JP-A1 fuel, rapeseed oil methyl ester (RME) and n-butanol

Figure 1. The fuel consumption per hour (Bd) and brake specific fuel consumption (bsfc) as a function of engine load at 2000 min-1

Figure 2. Brake thermal efficiency (ηe) and nitrogen oxide (NOx) as a function of engine load at 2000 min-1

BE blends having more adverse effects than the BBu blends. Moreover, on average of the five engine loads, the BBu and BE blends increase CO emission by 13.7% and 22.8% and HC emission by 5.6% and 29.2%, respectively; but reduce NOx emission by 6.5% and 28.0%, particle mass concentration by 20.7% and 20.6% and particle number concentration by 22% and 21%, respectively. Overall, the BE blends are more effective in reducing particulate and NOx emissions but the BBu blends would lead to less increase in CO and HC emissions [8].

A study conducted a comparative analysis of fuel properties, performance, emissions and combustion characteristics of biodiesel produced from waste cooking oil (B100), along with a binary blend of biodiesel–diesel (B20) and ternary blends of biodiesel– diesel–butanol as substitutions to diesel fuel.

Although biodiesel and n-butanol have some negative impacts on engine performance parameters, they generally positively affect exhaust emission parameters compared to euro diesel. Addition of n-butanol decreased some of the fuel thermo-physical properties such as density, viscosity and flash point.

The average decreases in brake power when n-butanol was added were 6.17%, 7.49% and 11%, respectively, coupled with increases in specific fuel consumption of 6.25%, 8.96% and 14.29%, respectively. The addition of n-butanol decreased exhaust gas temperatures, CO, HC, NO and smoke emissions [9].

The purpose was to study the effects of threecomponent fuel blends on performance, and exhaust emissions of a diesel engine.

various volumetric ratios 95% J5 and 5% Bu (J5Bu5), 90% J5 and 10% Bu (JBu10) and 85% J5 and 15% Bu (J5Bu15). The properties of the tested fuels and its blends are presented in Table 2.

The engine torque was measured with an eddy current dynamometer with a definition rate of ±0.1 Nm and the rotation speed with the mechanical meter with a definition rate of ±2 rpm.

The amounts of nitric oxide NO (ppm), nitrogen dioxide NO2 (ppm), carbon monoxide CO (ppm) and total unburned hydrocarbons HC (ppm) in the exhausts were measured with the Testo 350 XL gas analyser. Total emissions of nitrogen oxides NOx were determined as a sum of both NO and NO2 gases. Total NOx emissions were determined as a sum of both NO and NO2 pollutants with an accuracy of ±5 ppm.

The exhaust opacity (%) was measured with a Bosch RTT 100/RTT 110 opacity-meter with an accuracy of ±0.1o.

The engine characteristics were determined when it was driven by a gradually increasing load and a constant engine speed of 2000 rpm. To improve reliability of the measured data the tests have been repeated no less than three times.

been decreasing while the engine load was increasing (Fig.1). It is seen, when engine running on oxygenated biofuel blends J5Bu5, J5Bu10 and J5Bu15, at low load, the brake specific fuel consumption slightly increased by 1.1 %, 2.3 % and 4.5 %, respectively. When operating on biofuel J5Bu15 blend, the brake thermal efficiency of the diesel engine, decreases by 1 % (Fig.2).

3. Solution of the examined problem Fig. 1 shows the fuel consumption per hour and brake specific fuel consumption (bsfc) variations as a function of engine load.

Alterations of the combustion process has effect on engine economy Under the same operating conditions, the fuel consumption, when the engine has been operating on jetbiodiesel fuel and its blend with n−butanol, has been little higher compared to the engine operating on jet-biodiesel fuel (J5) blend. It has to be noted, that the change of bsfc has

The nitrogen oxides are formed outside the flame front at high temperatures, with free nitrogen atoms reacting with excess oxygen in the combustion chamber by a complex chain reaction. The total emissions of nitrogen oxides amount in the combustion depends more on the maximum process temperature, because the reaction is endothermic and not directly related to the combustion processes of the mixture. The variation of total emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOx) with as a function of engine load and different fuel blends

2. Preconditions and means for resolving the problem Experimental research was carried out in the fuel equipment testing laboratory of the Power and Transport Machinery Engineering Institute at the Faculty of Agricultural Engineering of Vytautas Magnus University − Agricultural Academy. For stroke, one cylinder, direct injection, air cooled “ORUVA FL 511” diesel engine was used for these experiments.

At first, engine tests have been conducted by using jet-biodiesel fuel blend were prepared by mixing RME and JP-A1 fuel in the following proportion by volume 5/95 (J5). After all load characteristics were taken of the engine performance on jet-biodiesel fuel (J5), three blends with jet-biodiesel fuel (J5) and n− butanol (Bu) were prepared by mixing in www.saea.com.au

Figure 2. Brake thermal efficiency (ηe) and nitrogen oxide (NOx) as a function of engine load at 2000 min-1

At full engine load, the brake specific fuel consumption changing tendencies remain similar. When operating on the threecomponent biofuel J5Bu5 – J5Bu15 blends, bsfc increased by 2.4–4.1 %, respectively, in comparison with engine running on fuel J5 blend. The increased fuel consumption of biofuel J5Bu5 – J5Bu15 blends may be attributed reasonably to the lower net heating value of oxygen blends. In case of using the three-component biofuel J5Bu5 – J5Bu15 blends, the brake thermal efficiency decreased by 0.4–1 % in comparison to the engine running on fuel J5 blend. The decrease of the brake thermal efficiency in this case can be explained by the fact that is the mostly affected by their reduced cetane number and the larger latent heat of vaporization of butanol as the latter suppresses the auto ignition and combustion processes in the cylinder.

Figure 3. Dependencies of carbon monoxide (CO) and smoke opacity of the exhaust on engine load at 2000 min-1 VTE | 29

Feature | Technical

Figure 3. Dependencies of carbon monoxide (CO) and smoke opacity of the exhaust on engine load at 2000 min-1

is presented in Fig. 2. When the engine is running at the average engine load, using of oxygenated biofuel blends J5Bu5, J5Bu10 and J5Bu15, the total emissions of nitrogen oxides reduces by 7.9 %, 5.6 % and 15.8, respectively.

The total emission of nitrogen oxides scales up when load of the engine increases. In case at full engine load and use biofuel J5Bu5, J5Bu10 and J5Bu15 blends, the total emission of NOx decreased by 3.5 %, 9.2 % and 10.6 %, respectively, in comparison with engine running on fuel J5 blend.

The decrease in total emission of nitrogen oxides can be explained by the lower gas pressure and temperature in the cylinder as the combustion and heat release processes moved towards the direction of the expansion stroke.

The pressure and temperature of the gas burning in a large volume of the cylinder are lower which in turn conditions the lower degree of nitrogen oxides emission. Butanol– diesel blends also show this behaviour, as butanol concentration increased, the NOx, and CO emissions decreased, while unburned HC emissions, BSFC, and BTE increased as compared to diesel [10].

Carbon monoxide is formed at local locations in the combustion chamber where oxygen is completely lacking for the combustion reaction. Incompletely burned carbon atoms reduce the thermal energy conversion efficiency of fuels and increase carbon monoxide emissions. Ineffective combustion and low chamber temperatures release the carbon monoxide and the unburned hydrocarbons emissions.

The dependencies of carbon monoxide (CO) emission of engine load is shown in Fig. 3.

When the engine is running at low load and using the three-component biofuel J5Bu5, J5Bu10 and J5Bu15 blends, the (CO) emission increases by 19–26 %, respectively, compared to the engine running on fuel J5 blend. In case at full engine load and using rich oxygenated blends J5Bu10 and J5Bu15, the carbon monoxide emission decreased by 13.3 % and 14.5 % in comparison to the engine running on fuel J5 blend. When operating on biofuel blend J5Bu5, the CO emission increases by 3 %.

Similar trends were obtained using n-butanol as an additive in a heavy-duty diesel engine with 5%, 10%, 15% of n-butanol content using multiple injections. Similar results showed that n-butanol addition decreased soot and CO 30 | September 2021

emissions, but did not have a serious impact on BSFC [11].

The soot formation be able to progress at local locations in the fuel-saturated combustion chamber during pyrolysis of hydrocarbons.

The smoke opacity of diesel engines depends on the cetane number of the fuel, the chemical composition, the amount of aromatic hydrocarbons, the fuel injection and the quality of the combustible mixture, the diffusion process in the chamber and the complex mechanism of soot particle formation and their combustion burn reaction rate. Fig. 3 shows dependencies of smoke opacity of the exhaust of engine load.

At low engine load, the smoke opacity remained lower in case of using all J5, J5Bu5, J5Bu10 and J5Bu15 fuel blends. The smoke opacity produced from biofuels J5Bu5, J5Bu10 and J5Bu15 fuel blends sustained at lower levels over the average engine load.

When running the engine on biofuel blends J5Bu10 and J5Bu15 at full load, the smoke opacity decreased by 19 % and 63 %, respectively, compared to the cases of using J5 fuel blend.

The lower smoke matches well with the test results findings of other researchers [12]. The effects of oxygenated fuel blends on the autoignition delay, combustion reactions, engine efficiency, smoke and exhaust emissions depend on the composition of the tested fuel blends, their chemical and physical properties as well as on engine load, speed, availability of air-born oxygen and temperature conditions inside the cylinder Conclusions 1. The brake mean fuel consumption using three-component fuel blends increased across at over the whole load range. At full engine load, the three-component fuel J5Bu5, J5Bu10, and J5Bu15 blends, the break mean fuel consumption increased by 2.4 %, 3.5 %, and 4.1 %, respectively, compared to fuel J5 blend.

2. Using a three-component biofuel J5Bu15 blend, the break thermal efficiency was 1 % lower, compared to the engine running on fuel J5 blend, at full engine load.

3. The jet-biodiesel fuel (J5) blend developed the highest (1817 ppm) total emissions of nitrogen oxides. At full engine load and using different biofuel J5Bu5, J5Bu10 and J5Bu15 blends, the most environmentally and human harmful total emissions of nitrogen oxides decreased by 3.5 %, 9.2 % and 10.6 %, respectively.

4. When the engine running at low load, the highest the carbon monoxide emissions were obtained with the engine running on biofuel J5Bu15 blend (279 ppm) and the lowest using the fuel J5 blend (221 ppm).

5. At the medium engine load using the three-component fuel J5Bu5, J5Bu10 and J5Bu15 blends, the smoke opacity was 23 %, 30 % and 52.9 % lower, compared to the engine running on fuel J5 blend.

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Combustion phenomenon, performance and emissions of a diesel engine with aviation turbine JP-8 fuel and rapeseed biodiesel blends. Energy Conversion and Management, 2015, 105: 216-229.

3. Labeckas G., Slavinskas S. The effect of rapeseed oil methyl ester on direct injection Diesel engine performance and exhaust emissions. Energy Conversion and Management, 2006, Vol. 47, Nr. 13– 14, p. 1954–1967.

4. Labeckas, G., Slavinskas, S., & Mažeika, M. The effect of ethanol–diesel–biodiesel blends on combustion, performance and emissions of a direct injection diesel engine. Energy Conversion and Management, 2014, 79, 698-720.

5. Gawron, Bartosz, et al. Performance and emission characteristic of miniature turbojet engine FED Jet A-1/alcohol blend.

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6. H. Solmaz, H. Yamık, Y. İçingür , A. Calam Investigation of the effects of civil aviation fuel Jet A1 blends on diesel engine performance and emission characteristics, Indian Journal of Engineering & Materials Science Vol. 21, April 2014, pp. 200-206 7. EC, E. C. WHITE PAPER roadmap to a single European transport area towards a competitive and resource efficient transport system. COM (2011) 144 final [online], 2011.

8. Wei L., Cheung C.S., Ning Z. Effects of biodiesel-ethanol and biodiesel-butanol blends on the combustion, performance and emissions of a diesel engine. Energy, 2018-07-15, Vol. 155, Issue 3, p. 957-970, doi.org/10.1016/j.energy.2018.05.049.

9. YILMAZ, Nadir, et al. Effect of biodiesel– butanol fuel blends on emissions and performance characteristics of a diesel engine. Fuel, 2014, 135: 46-50. 15.

10. Dogan O. The influence of n-butanol/ diesel fuel blends utilization on a small diesel engine performance and emissions.

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12. Rakopoulos DC, Rakopoulos CD, Giakoumis EG, Papagiannakis RG, Kyritsis DC. Influence of properties of various common bio-fuels on the combustion and emission characteristics of high-speed DI (direct injection) diesel engine: vegetable oil, bio-diesel, ethanol, n-butanol, diethyl ether. Energy 2014;73:354–66. 14 August.