CESA 2012 interview : Marc Duval-Destin (PSA), part three

Marc Duval-Destin is Research and Advanced Engineering VP at PSA Peugeot Citroën. For CESA blog, he talks about next generation powertrains.

"The evolution of powertrains is very similar to the evolution of species on Earth. OEMS have to adapt themselves to a new landscape, due to regulations for CO2 and pollution. Thanks to new technologies, in the field of combustion or admission, the average consumption will be reduced by 10 to 15 per cent in 2020. That's very important in only ten years.
Of course, electrification is the main topic today. Up to 8 billion dollars have been invested in battery technologies in the whole world. There is now a very large offer, from Stop & Start to range extender, including battery electric vehicles and plug in hybrids. I think that all these solutions will compete for the next decade. After 2020, the market will then choose the best options.
We already have electric vehicles and we have identified synergy effects in that field in our alliance with General Motors.
At PSA, we have decided to focus on diesel hybrid. This technology has been deployed on several vehicles and have been well welcomed by our customers. It is still a premium feature, but we are working to make it more affordable.
Our company has been also the first to promote Stop & Start system. We think it can be improved, in conjunction with a 48 volt architecture. It would be possible then to offer new functions, such as  active coasting and boost effet, with a 15 per cent reduction of CO2 emissions. The european approach for hybrids is more cost effective".

Next, Marc Duval-Destin will be discussing CESA event.

CESA 2012 interview : Pierre Gattaz (FIEEC)

President of FIEEC*, Pierre Gattaz sees a convergence in the vehicle between energy and electronics 

CESA congress will give the opportunity to show how France and Europe can take the lead in the future, despite a very hard economic period. Automotive new trends are clearly electrification and intelligence on board.
The car of tomorrow will be a smartphone on wheels, communicating with other vehicles and with the infrastructure. It will be safer, cleaner and much more comfortable.
We, at FIEEC, consider there is a real convergence coming on in the vehicle.
Not only the car of the future will be intelligent and energy efficient, thanks to sensors on board, but the road will be intelligent too. With an infrastructure able to communicate information, Europe could save lives and money. If we consider road accidents in France only, 4000 people are killed and 80 000 are injured, for a cost of 25 bn euro yearly. Connected cars could help society.
The next step is also autonomous driving It’s technically feasible. However, the regulations don’t allow these technologies and insurance companies are not ready yet to approve driverless cars on the roads.
 At FIEEC, we gather companies such as Schneider and Legrand in the field of electrification, or Thales and STMicroelectronics for electronics. It helps to have a forward thinking and we participate to high level meetings. For instance, our federation has been involved in the creation of PFA (automotive platform), in order to restablish french automotive industry after 2008 crisis. We are also a member of CLIFA (French committee of automotive suppliers).
Europe and France have a strong basis and a real know how to face coming challenges concerning energy, mobility and safety. The aim is relocate jobs and to give our industry a real advantage.

*Federation of electric, electronics and communication industries
Link : http://www.fieec.fr/

BMW et PSA launch BPCE in Paris

This evening, in Paris, BMW and PSA Peugeot Citroën have made an official presentation of BPCE. This joint venture stands for BMW Peugeot Citroën Electrification.
The development and production spectrum of this new company comprises all relevant components for electric powertrains, such as high-voltage batteries, electric motors, generators, power electronics, loading units and energy management software.
This joint venture will enable both partners to create an open platform on these technologies and support the European industry to structure itself in the field of hybridization. To that end, the joint venture will be a full-fledged company and will both integrate suppliers by outsourcing development work as well as sell hybrid components to third parties.
The new company will be operating out of two locations - the greater Munich area, Germany and Mulhouse, France. 400 employees are already working at BPCE, including 50 french people. The new hybrid components will equip both partners' vehicles from 2015 onwards. The BMW Group and PSA Peugeot Citroën have invested more than 100 million EUR in their joint venture on hybrid technology.

Birth of VeDeCoM in France

Selected by french state R & D program investment for the future, and backed by Paris area based Mov'eo automotive cluster, VeDeCoM Institute is the largest institute in France working on carbon free cars and new mobility trends. The name stands for connected and carbon free vehicle and its mobility.
Located in Versailles-Satory, in the south of Paris (and part of Saclay area, french equivalent of Silicon Valley), VeDeCoM gathers an incredible dream team. The 44 members are OEMs (Renault, PSA Peugeot Citroën, Venturi), OEM suppliers (Continental Automotive, STMicroelectrics, Valeo..), start ups (Induct, Intempora), energy suppliers (EDF), research institutes (CEA, INRIA, IFSTTAR) and local public authorities.
In 3 years, 280 people will begin to work with a 300 M € budget.
Main R&D programs are :
- infrastructure and services for mobility and shared energy
- full driving assistance and connectivity
- electrification of vehicles

Link (in french) : http://www.fondation-moveotec.com/en/la-recherche-et-linstitut-vedecom.html