The Continental: Professor Lenz on EVs, Schaeffler’s Hub Motor, and Product News

Each week, our German correspondent slices and dices the latest rumblings, news, and quick-hit driving impressions from the other side of the pond. His byline may say Jens Meiners, but we simply call him . . . the Continental.

Just hype? If so, at least one engineer thinks EV’s time in the limelight has passed.

Next week, the inner circle of the powertrain engineering world convenes at the Vienna Engine Symposium. I expect this year’s meeting will again be exciting, as further advances in the internal combustion engine could render the complex and expensive efforts at electrification futile. Professor Hans-Peter Lenz from Vienna, who leads the Symposium, takes delight in the fact that “the EV hype is over and has been replaced by fact-based reporting.” He states that “every new engine generation achieves gains of about 20 percent in terms of efficiency, emissions, and power. This means that the efficiency of conventional powertrains grows at a higher rate than the progress of electric powertrains.”

Moreover, the argument that fossil-fuel supplies will run out within our lifetimes seems to be solidly demolished by the advent of hydraulic fracturing (fracking) technology. (And oil is still going to be around as well.) At a recent BMW event, a German engineer roundly dismissed the hydraulic tech: “Fracking is not the way.” But this seems to be a specifically German perspective. It is the same country that’s shutting down perfectly good nuclear power stations without consulting its neighbors—because of a tsunami in Japan.

Speakers in Vienna will include Daimler’s R&D chief Thomas Weber, his BMW counterpart Herbert Diess, and Volkswagen CEO Martin Winterkorn. Their appearance promises to provide rare insight in technological and corporate strategies. I am looking forward to this as an absolute highlight of the automotive year.

A New Unimog

Daimler is launching a face-lifted version of its Unimog truck, a commercial vehicle with both a cult-like following and unsurpassed off-road capabilities. (The former partly due to the latter.) The next Unimog will meet Euro-6 emissions regulations, it receives an upgraded electronics architecture, and revised styling inside and out. We will even see a huge, Mercedes-Benz SL–inspired grill grace the ‘Mog’s front end; testing is underway in Scandinavia.

Sporty Volvo

Chinese-owned Volvo is serious about launching its Polestar high-performance line, and the S60 Polestar is the first full-on Polestar model to make it into dealerships. It is powered by a version of Volvo’s ubiquitous turbocharged straight-six, tweaked to produce 350 horsepower at 5700 rpm. That is 50 horsepower more than the regular S60 T6 and 25 more than the S60 T6 R-Design. Maximum torque is rated at “over 368″ lb-ft from 2800 to 4750 rpm. To squeeze out the extra power, Volvo has replaced the S60′s turbocharger and intercooler with bigger units and installed a free-flow exhaust system. The sedan’s Aisin-supplied six-speed automatic is unchanged. But Volvo has upgraded the chassis and brakes, as well as the aerodynamics. Despite its merits, I deplore that fact that the production S60 Polestar’s 350 horsepower are a far cry from the 508 ponies galloping under the hood of last year’s S60 Polestar concept.

Unfortunately, the S60 Polestar is being limitied to the Australian market as a “pilot project.” I think that a sporty Volvo is almost a no-brainer for any market, given the brand’s rich racing heritage that reached a high point with the PV544 and the Amazon, but continued throughout the 1970s and ’80s with high-powered versions of the 240. It would be great to have the Polestar models in Europe and America (and China, of course).

A Cheap Convertible

Fiat is practically giving away the roofless 500C cabrio in Europe. The special-edition 500 Sole costs the same with the panoramic roof as it does with the sliding fabric top. (Typically, convertibles cost more than their hardtop counterparts.) Based on the previous-generation Panda, the 500 has been on the market in Europe for almost six years—it still looks cheerful and has aged well, but it’s no longer the new kid on the block. Perhaps that is the reason for the price parity between the topless and hardtop 500s.

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• Comparison Test: 2012 Volvo S60 R-Design vs. 2012 Buick Regal GS
• Instrumented Test: 2012 Fiat 500C
• First Drive: 2014 Ford Fiesta ST

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Schaeffler’s Hub Motor

German supplier Schaeffler is introducing a new generation of electric wheel hub motors, which could bring about revolutionary changes in vehicle architecture. That is, if E-mobility prevails against the general headwinds I mentioned above. Showcased in an engine-less Ford Fiesta, Schaeffler fitted the little Ford with two 45-horsepower rear wheel hub motors. For brief sprints, up to 55 horsepower per wheel can be summoned. Each wheel weighs a whopping 117 lbs—that means more than 117 pounds of unsprung weight at each rear corner—which makes a compelling case against low-section tires. In one compact package, the wheel hub motor houses the stator, the rotor, the power electronics, the brakes, and the wheel bearings. One of the potential advantages is if the hub motors are on a steerable wheel, theoretically the wheels can be turned 90 degrees to facilitate extremely tight parking, since there are no half shafts in the way.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/caranddriver/blog/~3/dhAcGtW5_qw/

Naoki Hattori Paul Hawkins Mike Hawthorn Boy Hayje Willi Heeks