AC #2025 – 博世开发柴油突破性产品, 通用电机独特的照明方式, 壳牌超级燃油效率半卡车


大家好，我是约翰•麦克罗伊，欢迎收看Autoline 中国，我们的节目将为您呈现汽车领域最重要最前沿的行业新技术。



博世开发柴油突破性产品
博世在减少柴油排放方面取得了重大突破。更令人印象深刻的是，它仅使用现有组件，因此该技术可立即供汽车制造商使用，且不会增加成本。今天，欧洲的排放法规限制氮氧化物排放量仅为每公里168毫克。到2020年，这会降到120毫克。但博世表示，此项突破在城市驾驶中只会达到40毫克，总体上仅有13毫克。以下是它的工作原理。博世采用先进的燃油喷射技术，新的空气管理系统和智能温度管理系统。空气管理系统依靠一种处理废气再循环的新方法，在经过优化的涡轮机上可以更快地启动。博世表示，关键在于将EGR温度保持在200摄氏度以上。通常情况下，EGR在城市驾驶中无法达到这些温度，特别是在电网锁定或停车和行驶中。


福特帮助盲人在公路中旅行
福特在意大利的团队以及GTB罗马和创业公司Aedo开发了一种设备，帮助盲人在公路旅行中观看风景，被称为感觉视图。该设备具有一个摄像头，拍摄的风景照片被转换成高对比度的灰度图像。每一道灰色都被转换成窗户上不同强度的振动，盲人通过触摸它，能够“视觉地”体验风景。该设备还具有一个音频助理，可以告诉用户他们正在看什么，以帮助将图像置于上下文中。


接下来，来看看石油公司壳牌生产的超高燃油效率半卡车。


通用电机独特的照明方式
通用汽车正在采取独特的方式来设计和制造零部件。它与软件公司Autodesk联手测试其生成式设计技术。设计师只需要插入他们想要的部件重量、强度，他们想要从哪个材料中取出以及如何组装。该系统使用云计算和人工智能来快速生成不同的零件设计。然后用户可以选择最符合他们需要的设计。通用汽车发现与3D打印配对时可以解锁更多潜力。例如，它采用了由8个不同部件组成的座椅支架，并通过Autodesk软件运行后，将其裁减到一个部件，轻40％，强20％。 这意味着我们只需通过使用更多的计算能力，就可以减轻更多汽车的重量。

壳牌超级燃油效率半卡车
壳牌和气流卡车公司开发了一款超级燃油效率的Class 8半卡车，名为Starship。正如您所看到的，驾驶室经过了空气动力学优化，并由碳纤维制成。 其具有的其他航空特性还包括主动式格栅百叶窗和后部的细长船尾。卡车由15升6缸柴油发动机和48V电池供电。它还在拖车顶部配备了5000瓦太阳能电池阵列。壳牌目前正在测试此卡车，但他们并未提及他们所期望的燃油经济性。

接下来……通用汽车与软银签署的投资协议标志着汽车行业的新途径。

汽车工业的新路径
通用汽车与软银签署的投资协议不仅仅是一笔大财务交易，它更标志着汽车行业的新途径。软银作为一家日本巨头企业，宣布将向通用汽车旗下的克鲁斯自动化有限责任公司投资23亿美元。通用汽车表示，它并不真的需要这笔钱，但如果有人想给你23亿美元，你为什么会拒绝？ 这也意味着汽车公司可以通过从其他投资方为电动汽车和自动驾驶汽车筹集所需的大量投资资金。通用汽车的股价在这个消息中大涨，因为如果软银认为通用汽车有很好的未来，那么为什么它就肯定是真的。未来我们很可能会看到其他汽车制造商试图找到能够帮助支付研发费用的投资者。

那今天的节目到这里就结束了。感谢您收看Autoline中国。

Hello, I’m John McElroy, welcome to Autoline China, the show that covers some of the most important new technologies in the automotive industry.

BOSCH DEVELOPS DIESEL BREAKTHROUGH

Bosch has developed a major breakthrough in reducing diesel emissions. Even more impressively, it uses existing components so the technology is available immediately for automakers and will not add cost. Today European emission regulations limit nitrogen oxide emissions to only 168 milligrams per kilometer. In 2020 that drops to only 120 milligrams. But Bosch says its breakthrough can achieve only 40 milligrams in city driving and only 13 milligrams overall. Here’s how it works. Bosch is using advanced fuel injection, a new air management system and an intelligent temperature management system. The air management system relies on a new way of handling exhaust gas recirculation, and on a turbo that is optimized to spool up faster at launch. Bosch says the key is keeping EGR temperatures above 200 degrees Celsius. Typically, the EGR fails to reach those temperatures in city driving, especially in grid-lock or stop and go driving.


FORD HELPS THE BLIND ON ROAD TRIPS

Ford’s team in Italy, along with GTB Roma and start-up company Aedo, developed a device to help blind people visualize scenery on a road trip. Called Feel The View, the device features a camera that takes pictures of the landscape which are converted into a high-contrast gray-scale image. Every shade of gray is translated into a vibration of different intensity on the window, and by touching it, this allows the blind to “visually” experience the scenery. The device also features an audio assistant that tells the user what they’re looking at, to help put the image into context.


Still to come, a look at a hyper fuel efficient semi-truck from the oil company Shell.


GENERAL MOTORS UNIQUE APPROACH TO LIGHTWEIGHTING

GM is taking a unique approach to the way it designs and manufactures parts. It teamed up with the software company Autodesk to test out what it calls generative design technology. Designers just have to plug in what they want the part to weigh, how strong it should be, what material they want to make it out of and how it will be assembled. The system uses cloud computing and artificial intelligence to quickly generate different part designs. The user then picks the design that best fits their need. GM sees even more potential that can be unlocked when paired with 3D printing. For example, it took a seat bracket made of 8 different pieces and, after running it through Autodesk’s software, cut it down to a single part that’s 40% lighter and 20% stronger. And that means we’re going to see a lot more weight taken out of cars simply by using more computing power.


SHELL’S HYPER FUEL EFFICIENT SEMI-TRUCK
Shell and the Airflow Truck Company developed a hyper fuel efficient Class 8 semi-truck, called the Starship. As you can see, the cab has been optimized for aerodynamics and is made out of carbon fiber. Other aero features include active grille shutters and an elongated boat tail at the rear. The truck is powered by a 15 liter, 6-cylinder diesel engine along with a 48V battery. It’s also equipped with a 5,000-watt solar array on top of the trailer. Shell is currently testing the truck but they won’t say what kind of fuel economy they expect to get.



Coming up next…the investment deal that General Motors signed with Softbank signals a new path for the automotive industry.

NEW PATH FOR AUTOMOTIVE INDUSTRY
The investment deal that General Motors signed with Softbank is more than a big financial deal. It signals a new path for the automotive industry. Softbank is a giant Japanese conglomerate that announced it will invest $2.3 billion in Cruise Automation LLC which is owned by General Motors. GM says it didn’t really need the money, but if someone wants to give you $2.3 billion why would you say no? This also points to a new way that car companies can fund the massive investments they need to make in electric and autonomous cars. Get someone else to give you the money. GM’s stock shot up on the news because if Softbank thinks GM has great future, why then it must be true. And it’s likely we’re going to see other automakers try to find investors who will help pay for their R&D costs.


But that wraps up today’s report, thanks for watching Autoline China.