During the golden decade of rapid growth in the size of the automobile market, car companies without core technology can develop well. However, in the domestic automobile market from the incremental market to the stock market, and by the national five to national six emission standards and other comprehensive factors, the development of the dividend period has quietly slipped away, so many domestic automobile brands are also facing reshuffle. When the head of automobile brand sales experiences large fluctuations, the second and third camp of the automobile brand becomes increasingly difficult; no core technology and competitiveness of the automobile brand are struggling. So what kind of high-end technology do those top car companies have? Let’s explain a few.
Porsche: Variable cross-section turbocharger
When it comes to Porsche, the first thing that probably comes to most people’s mind is its famous PDK dual-clutch transmission. The PDK Dual Clutch is not only fast shifting and efficient, but also very stable and arguably at the top of the industry, but this time it’s about Porsche’s variable cross-section turbocharger. What is a variable cross-section turbocharger? You can think of it as a turbocharger that can be switched between a “small turbo” and a “large turbo” under different operating conditions. The centerpiece of a variable cross-section turbocharger is the outer ring of turbine blades that have an electronically controlled angle. When the engine is at low speed, the opening angle of the guide vanes is smaller due to lower exhaust gas pressure. According to the principle of hydrodynamics, the airflow speed into the turbine will be accelerated and the pressure will be strengthened, to increase the speed of the turbine and reduce the phenomenon of turbine lag, to make the vehicle get better acceleration ability.
As the engine speed increases, the opening angle of the guide vanes also increases. Under full engine load conditions, the guide vanes are in a fully open state, “merging” with the main turbine to form larger vanes, thus achieving the supercharging effect of a normal large turbo. With the variable cross-section turbocharger, engine power can be said to be almost the entire efficient output, Porsche 911’s outstanding performance, and VTG technology (Porsche’s name) can not be faulted.
Day Change: Variable Compression Ratio
The VQ series engine is one that Nissan is proud of, but Nissan didn’t stop developing it and brought out the VC-TUBRO engine. What’s great about the VC-TUBRO engine is that its compression ratio can be switched between 8:1 and 14:1, something that’s almost impossible to do with ordinary engines. When the vehicle starts or accelerates rapidly, the engine compression ratio switches to 8:1. The lower the ratio, the stronger the power output of the turbocharged engine, and the more stable it is. It is also less prone to detonation when low-quality fuel is accidentally added. The engine compression ratio switches to 14:1 when the ECU monitors via the gas pedal that the driver is driving gently and the vehicle is in even, cruising driving conditions. When the compression ratio is high, the fuel is burned more fully and the thermal efficiency is higher, thus reducing fuel consumption. So the VC-TUBRO engine is very “greedy”, it wants both the fish and the bear’s paw.
So how does the VC-TUBRO engine achieve a variable compression ratio? The method is to incorporate an L-shaped connecting rod between the piston connecting rod and the crankshaft. While a regular engine has a single connecting rod with a crankshaft, the VC-TUBRO engine has two connecting rods, top and bottom, with the crankshaft sandwiched between them in a circular motion. This connecting rod structure coupled with a motor control system changes the top stop of the piston when the engine is running, thus switching the compression ratio. The VC-TUBRO 2.0T engine of the Celestial is equipped with the VC-TUBRO 2.0T engine, which alone produces 252 horsepower and 380 Nm of maximum torque, which is unparalleled in its class at the same price, but the fuel consumption performance is still at the mainstream level.
Toyota: THS Hybrid System
There is a saying that “there are two types of hybrids in the world, Toyota hybrids and other hybrids”, which shows the status of Toyota’s hybrid system in the industry. As we know, hybrid power is broadly categorized into three types: series programmable, parallel, and power-split and Toyota’s hybrid system belongs to the power-split type. The core of the reason for this category is that it uses a set of planetary gear structures to skillfully connect the engine, generator, and electric motor, eliminating the need for a complicated electronically controlled clutch. The planetary gear has three free states, relying on the dynamic relationship between it and two sets of gear pairs, at the appropriate time to open or lock the relationship between a set of gear pairs, you can make the whole system of power output state and transmission ratio change.
Toyota’s THS hybrid system has the advantage of a simpler structure and lighter weight because it eliminates the need for a complicated electronically controlled clutch. It also has the advantage of flexible control due to the single-row, single-stage planetary gear mechanism. Toyota hybrids do have smooth power delivery and very low fuel consumption. These advantages have also built up a good reputation for the THS hybrid system in the market and established Toyota’s benchmark position in this segment of hybrid vehicles.
GM: Tripower Variable Valve
Whether it’s the recently launched CT5, CT4, or the new generation Buick GL8, which has just been launched, all of them are equipped with engines with Tripower variable valve technology. When driving aggressively or accelerating, all four cylinders of the engine are working in high-performance mode to output the strongest power. When the vehicle is in the highway cruising state and other circumstances, the engine will close two cylinders into a “two-cylinder engine”, into the two-cylinder super-economy mode, to achieve the effect of fuel economy by 15%. Then the number of cylinders variable, and how to realize?
This engine from GM has three different height cams on the camshaft. In the 1 and 4-cylinder positions, there are two cams with different lifts, high and low, while in the 2 and 3-cylinder positions, there is an additional liftless cam in addition to the high and low lift cams. When switching to the no-lift cam, the valves are not pushed open, so that the intake valves are closed and the two-cylinder super-economy mode is entered. In other words, by switching to different lift cams, it is possible to switch seamlessly between four-cylinder High Performance, four-cylinder Eco, and two-cylinder Super Eco modes. It’s all about passionate power and economical fuel consumption.
As China’s engine industry reforms and changes, and cutting-edge engine technology is set to be learned and utilized by Chinese companies, it is especially important to find a comprehensive supplier and service provider that can help you with all aspects of engineering services in one step. Choose shanhedongli to work directly with the brand’s original manufacturer.
