Malaysian Hybrid

Malaysia's national auto manufacturer Proton has unveiled its first hybrid prototype, designed in collaboration with Lotus Engineering

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Malaysia's National auto manufacturer Proton has unveiled its first Hybrid prototype, designed in collaboration with Lotus Engineering. It is just over two decades since the company bolted together its first cars from Mitsubishi parts imported from Japan, but as the company has grown in strength, it has acquired considerable engineering design, development and manufacturing expertise, pulling off a major coup with its acquisition of Lotus in 1996. The 'EVE Hybrid' (Efficient, Viable, Environmental) research and development project was a collaboration of Proton and Lotus and EVE sports some impressive vital statistics. EVE has a 1.6litre petrol engine, which uses a 'micro-hybrid' start-stop system, a full parallel hybrid drive and a continuously variable transmission to achieve fuel economy of 5.6 litres/100km. maximum torque of whopping 233Nm at 1500rpm and maximum power of 105kW at 5500rpm enabling the car to accelerate from 0-100km/h in 9.0 seconds with a top speed of 188.8 km/h.

Extensive performance and drive cycle modeling of the prototype hybrid variant using the EVE Hybrid technologies indicate impressive performance figures.

Using the full parallel hybrid configuration the car can achieve fuel economy of 5.6 litres/100km (a 28 percent improvement over a standard petrol Proton GEN.2) while producing maximum torque of 233Nm at1500rpm and maximum power of 105kW at 5500rpm enabling the car to accelerate from 0-100km/h in 9.0 seconds with a top speed of 188.8 km/h and a CO2 emission level of just 134g/km, a 22 percent reduction compared with the standard car.

Proton has not revealed any details of when or if the prototype EVE Hybrid will be mass-produced.

The system showcases how OEMs can introduce lower emissions variants to existing model ranges that currently only offer conventional gasoline and diesel powertrains.

Lotus Engineering believes the application of hybrid technology is a key route for CO2 emissions reduction and that in the short term it will remain more viable to integrate hybrid technologies into existing model ranges than to develop expensive new dedicated hybrid platforms.

The EVE system will provide Proton solutions that will keep price premiums for hybrid variants to a minimum, thanks to lower development costs.

This new hybrid system is available immediately for introduction within current and next generation model lifecycles.

The EVE Hybrid program is focused on establishing the processes for integrating hybrid technology with minimal development time and cost, overcoming many of the challenges associated with integrating hybrid technology into existing platforms through intelligent, compact and discreet packaging of the necessary hybrid components.

Ultimately the EVE system is aimed at providing strong, viable business case propositions for offering a hybrid variant on a medium-high volume production car.

The research and development program was undertaken by a cross-functional team of Proton and Lotus engineers working together at Proton's base at Shah Alam near Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia and at Lotus Engineering's Hethel Headquarters in the UK.

The resulting EVE Hybrid Prototype was based on a Proton GEN.2 with a 1.6litre petrol engine, showcasing a trio of production-representative technologies including:

- a 'micro-hybrid' start-stop system - a full parallel hybrid drive - a continuously variable transmission

Compared to the baseline Proton GEN.2, tailpipe emissions are reduced from a competitive 172g/km to just 134g/km, a reduction of 22 percent, while fuel economy improves 28 percent from 7.2litres/100km to 5.6 litres/100km.

According to Mike Kimberley, Chief Executive Officer of Group Lotus, the technologies and know-how showcased in the EVE Hybrid are the latest addition to the Proton family of companies suite of efficient performance solutions for the automotive industry.

"As an automotive consultancy and global OEM, we are able to manage all elements of a hybrid integration project, with extensive drivetrain, vehicle, electrical and control systems expertise from design and development through to production," said Mr. Kimberley.