Peugeot reveals details on new propulsion system
The French auto group PSA Peugeot Citroen has recently revealed details of a new and rather innovative fuel-efficient Hybrid Air propulsion system which it plans to install into small and city-sized production cars by 2016.
This Hybrid Air system is meant to be an alternative to the conventional petrol-electric hybrid setup – in this system a compressed air tank takes the place of the battery pack, hence providing zero-emission driving in urban conditions while at the same time extending vehicle range.
According to PSA Peugeot Citroen, one of the major benefits of their Hybrid Air system is its affordability, because this technology is considerably cheaper to install than a battery-powered hybrid system – as a result it is cheaper for the customer.
The aim is to fit this new Hybrid Air system to city cars and small cars with 61kW and 82kW petrol engines, as well as onto lighter commercial vehicles.
The system will fit the size of the Citroen C3 or the Peugeot 208 and should be able to achieve combined cycle fuel consumption figures of 2.9 litres per 100km and average CO2 emissions of about 63 grams per kilometer.
Quite similarly to the conventional hybrid, the system can operate in three modes: petrol power, in which the petrol engine is the sole source of propulsion; air power, in which the hydraulic motor will be the only one transmitting energy to the wheels, or combined power, in which both the internal combustion engine and the hydraulic motor will be working together.
According to the French carmaker this hybrid system can lead to fuel savings of up to 45 percent for urban driving, so that’s definitely a good thing figure to look forward to.
One other advantage of the Hybrid Air system is that the air tank is stored beneath the car, thus not compromising boot capacity, as opposed to the battery packs of conventional hybrids.