It is possible the daily mobility without broadcasts of CO2?

A proof of driving with the manager of the company, Martin Bolliger, shows that this small vehicle has all what needs to be something more than a car for escapes of weekend or small travel. With attributes like ‘compact', ‘agile' and ‘fast', this “Cinquecento” can easily reach an autonomy of 700 km in hybrid way.

As potential customers, Martin Bolliger hopes to attract with this hybrid to young families or even companies that wish to build a "green" fleet of vehicles. Swisscleandrive is currently working on improvements to reduce the time delay in starting, initially 1 minute and in the current production with possibility to be below the 2 seconds.

Why use a distributed I/o system? With its outstanding surveillance and scheduling system, driver guarantees the flexibility need this prototype to function properly. For this model in particular, continuously monitor that the car is the right value of load. System X 20 is able to achieve this by turning on or off a mild form of combustion or electric motor when operation of both is necessary or combined at the same time. This is shown with a small displacement of weekend from Zurich to Lake Como in Italy (about 235\1km\2, a hilly and demanding; electric motor provides additional 40 HP to the rear axle to overcome the tougher parts of the trip while which descents is used to recharge the batteries.) Once arrived at destination, complete the load by connecting it to a power outlet.

The example of the Lake of As it can be picturesque but no unseen the complexity behind the stage. Martin Bolliger knows all this very well: “The development and construction of the current box of control retardó the project more than two months”. The initial problem was to find to the person that could llevar a so complex task. It was not until the company put in contact with Walter Moser, an electrical engineer, that the solution began to outline. “Had experience working with products of B&R and the questions that realised us showed me immediately that Walter could create the unit of control so that it worked such as we needed”, remembers Martin. Previously, a programmer and an expert in automotive sector had not attained the aim expected.

The easy adaptability of the box of control to other vehicles means new possibilities of commercialisation for Swisscleandrive. For example, if a potential customer was interested in the new technology but wanted to apply it to a vehicle Seat or Volkswagen, the only necessary adaptation would be in the mechanical part. The followers of the Fiat Panda has it even better since this model is based in the same platform that the Fiat 500, by what are not necessary adaptations, are cuales are. In any case, if there is somebody interested, by the moment has to content with the model Fiat 500 in two versions of different power (70 and 85 CV), one of them of edition limited. “Expand us to different marks of vehicles is planned but is not a priority by the moment”, puntualiza Bolliger. To finals of 2010 the company centred in putting all the necessary means to start with the production in series when they began to receive the first requests and having in his list of wait to customers with wide fleets of trucks to modify. From starts of the 2011 expects that between several dozens and several cientos of Fiats are converted to hybrids every year. However, this man of businesses can not ensure by how long will be doing this ‘upgrade'; his aim really is to offer his ecological solution in shape of option configurable standard. This would allow the conversion of the vehicles directly from the factory.

The conversion of the Fiat model does not take more than three days and the final result shows that it is lost very little space with the modification. This is so because the components 'disappear' within parts of the car that are not used. For example, Swisscleandrive technicians have devised how to integrate the battery in the extra space for accommodation of the spare wheel, taking only 50 additional available total depth mm. Despite the laborious process of conversion, the original warranty of the vehicle is not affected. "This is so because do not manipulate the original components of the Fiat," explains Martin Bolliger. Is a bit more complex to estimate the actual cost of the conversion; This depends on the number of vehicles to convert as well as the price of batteries. Anyway, the trend in the market is that this price decrease. By the time a 'power pack' costs 4,600 but the increase in demand could cause prices to drop significantly.

This type of hybrid vehicles are not designed to carry them to conditions of extreme operation. After his conversion, the compact uses roughly 5 litres to visit 100 km using only the engine of fuel. However, it is more than possible arrive to impressesive savings in petrol. “The fact is that the electrical engine covers around 80% of the needs of a day of driving”, says Martin Bolliger. To an average of some 15.000 km driven by year, these needs can be covered using photovoltaic plates in the roof of the parking of trucks, for example. Of course, any intelligent driver recargaría his vehicle in any taking of current that found, but being honest: somebody that believes in the sustainable driving would risk to contaminate his surroundings with electricity generated by nuclear power given the case?

Speaking of repostar, although to the integrated cheese cheese tank of petrol do not matter him with which frequency fill it, the situation is slightly different with the batteries recargables. It is not advisable that download totally the batteries of lithium of our compact hybrid; that's why the system monitors constantly the load and commutates to operation with engine of combustion when it is underneath of a value limit, which helps to lengthen the life of the batteries. In the case of the prototype, for example, already is the third year of use of these and still have not given any symptom of fatigue

Then, why reinventar the car? This question listened during the development of this hybrid vehicle. “Basically we have taken the existent technology and improved what was necessary. If there is a component that can signal as really innovative is our controller”, signals Martin Bolliger. In any case, using the technology and existent knowledges were tied to a considerable quantity of investigation.” It does not matter which, but certainly did not want to infringir any of the existent patents”. Once that all the barriers have been surpassed, there is not at all on the way that it prevent to enjoy of a sustainable driving from now on.