Text/Civil
At present, everyone's main impression of hybrid models comes from the oil-electric hybrid of the two fields, or the plug-in hybrid like BYD, after all, it is a technical route with a reputation and heat, advanced technology, and obvious fuel-saving effect. But people who pay attention to the car market will find that in addition to these two hybrids, there has always been a quiet genre, that is, models equipped with 48V light hybrid systems.
In particular, European car companies, such as BBA, in addition to plug-in hybrid models, are almost all equipped with 48V light mixing system. So why is this 48V light hybrid system so sought after by European car companies, and many similar models have appeared in China, more fuel-efficient or more advanced technology?
What is 48V Mix? What are its advantages?
The 48V hybrid, also known as the Mild Hybrid, is an upgrade from the 12V electrical system. It is mainly composed of BSG (P0 motor) or ISG (P1 motor) + 48V battery + DC/ DC (transformer) three parts. At the same time, the 48V light hybrid system did not completely eliminate the traditional 12V electrical system, but continued to retain the previous 12V system.
The electronic equipment on ordinary fuel models is powered by 12V batteries, but in order to reduce fuel consumption, many vehicles need to be equipped with automatic start-stop technology, so the 12V voltage is not enough. The 48V light mix is to raise the standard voltage of the vehicle to 48V, which can drive higher power equipment and better integrate with other systems.
The advantage is that it can optimize the engine start-stop, start-start, brake and other working conditions to achieve the purpose of fuel saving; higher voltage drives a higher-power motor, driving the crankshaft more easily, reducing system delay and setbacks; larger batteries and motors can achieve more functions than traditional start-stop motors. For example, the oil motor is completed in the starting situation, the kinetic energy is recovered during braking, and the air conditioning compressor function is separate.
Why do many car companies love it?
For example, in Europe, the price of a 48V light mixing system is about 3500 yuan, but it can save 4000-5000 yuan of carbon emission costs by reducing carbon emissions, so it is widely used. Although the current regulations on the mainland are not as strict as in Europe, they are also significantly improving.
Therefore, the 48V light mix system can achieve lower fuel consumption and lower cost in the case of small changes to traditional fuel vehicles, which has become a good choice for car companies, and it can also be used as the first step in the electrification transformation of traditional car companies.
Is the actual use of 48V really better than fuel vehicles? Why is it called chicken ribs?
As far as the current consumer feedback is concerned, the actual performance of 48V light mixing is not much better than that of fuel vehicles, and the difference in fuel consumption compared to the fuel version is almost at 0.00 liters or no difference; although it can improve power and compliance as advertised, this is not obvious to consumers. For example, the power system composed of 1.5T+48V micro-hybrid is always inferior to the excellent 2.0T engine.
The north American technical director of Continental, a supplier of 48V light hybrids, said: "The biggest change consumers can feel is the feeling of engine start-stop" - but many car owners are not very receptive to the engine start-stop function.
Luxury cars like Audi A8L and A6L, the power is already very powerful and smooth, plus 48V light mix can only be regarded as the icing on the cake, the perception is not obvious. It is not excluded that after many models use 48V light mixing, fuel consumption performance and compliance have declined.
If it is a low-cost model with a 3-cylinder engine + 48V light mix, the effect will be better, reducing the uneven characteristics of the three-cylinder engine, and the power is better and more fuel-efficient. But the increased cost of 48V is not much in luxury cars, but it will obviously not increase the cost performance on low-cost models.
What models are currently in use with a 48V mixing system?
At present, models such as Mercedes-Benz C-Class, E-Class, Audi A6L, Geely Boyue and other models are equipped with 48V light mix. Volkswagen will also continue to be equipped with 48V light mixes as standard on new fuel vehicles, and BMW will also be equipped with 48V micro mixes, Japanese and Korean and American models.
Although the performance in terms of energy saving, power and smoothness is not outstanding, the 48V light mix system is indeed the first step in the transformation of the current fuel model with a large base to the new energy era.
summary:
The 48V light mix system comes from a 12V electrical system, but can realize automatic start-stop, power assist and recovery functions, improving power and fuel saving. Although car companies choose it because of fuel saving and emission reduction and low cost, the performance in practical applications is not much different from that of fuel vehicles. No matter how many car companies follow up on this technology, but for enterprises, how to smooth the cost gap between it and fuel vehicles may be more smooth for its promotion.