INCREASED FUEL ECONOMY IN TRANSPORTATION SYSTEMS BY USE OF ENERGY MANEGEMENT--THIRD YEAR'S PROGRAM

The results are reported of the third year of a three-year research program, the overall goal of which has been to conceive and evalaute practical ways to increase automobile fuel economy by energy management within the engine-transmission-vehicle system. The detailed design, construction, and preliminary evaluation of a Flywheel Energy Management Powerplant (FEMP) installed in a Pinto was studied. The vehicle has been built to experimentally verify performance simulations and to allow the practical aspects of a real flywheel vehicle to be studied. The FEMP consists basically of an internal combustion engine, a high-speed energy-storage flywheel, and a hydrostatic power-split continuously-variable transmission (CVT) system. The flywheel drives the car, and the engine comes on to "Recharge" it (with efficient wide-open throttle operation) only when the flywheel speed drops below a predetermined value. The concept also permits effective and efficient regenerative braking. Computer simulations have indicated an improvement in city fuel mileage of about 50%, with improvements of 100% appearing feasible with further research. Preliminary testing of the car shows favorable performance.

• Supplemental Notes:
  • Sponsored by DOT, Office of the Secretary
• Corporate Authors:

  University of Wisconsin, Madison

  Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
  1415 Engineering Drive
  Madison, WI  United States  53706
• Authors:
  • Beachley, N H
  • Frank, A A
• Publication Date: 1976-7

Media Info

• Features: Figures; Tables;
• Pagination: 63 p.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Automobiles; Braking; Electric power plants; Energy; Flywheels; Fuel consumption; Internal combustion engines; Transmissions; Transportation; Vehicle power plants
• Uncontrolled Terms: Transportation systems
• Old TRIS Terms: Automobile engines
• Subject Areas: Economics; Energy; Safety and Human Factors; Society; Transportation (General);

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00159620
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: National Technical Information Service
• Report/Paper Numbers: DOT-TST-77-21 Final Rpt.
• Contract Numbers: DOT-OS-30112-Mod 3
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Dec 8 1977 12:00AM