Ricardo to focus on vehicle electrification technologies at LCV2017

At LCV2017 – the UK’s premier low carbon vehicle event, to be hosted at Millbrook on 6-7 September – Ricardo will present some of its latest and most exciting work on next-generation electric vehicle, low carbon and air quality monitoring technologies.

Ricardo’s leadership in both low carbon vehicle technologies and in the monitoring of urban air quality will be on display at the CENEX Low Carbon Vehicles show (LCV2017).

With the focus firmly upon electrification of the passenger car powertrain, Ricardo will be displaying examples of projects in areas including the evaluation of new, more efficient electric vehicle battery cell chemistries, the development of efficient and cost-effective driveline systems for electric and hybrid vehicles, the creation of new high efficiency engines for hybrid use, and the optimisation of the acoustic performance of electric vehicles.

One of the key exhibits will be a lithium sulphur electric vehicle battery module developed by Ricardo as a part of its work under the REVB (Revolutionary Electric Vehicle Battery) project. This project – which was led by OXIS Energy and part-funded by Innovate UK – will also be discussed in a presentation to be made by Dr Nikita Hall of Ricardo, entitled Lithium Sulfur Battery Chemistry in Vehicle Applications – Challenges and Opportunities. The presentation will provide an overview of where Li-S fits within the automotive industry, the challenges Ricardo faced on the REVB project, and the detailed engineering processes followed to optimize the design of the battery module and its extremely powerful Ricardo battery management system.

Further presentations by Ricardo will cover the rapid identification of transmission layouts for lowest vehicle energy consumption, focusing in particular upon the use of dedicated hybrid transmissions, and the development of gasoline engines for next-generation hybrid vehicles.

The Ricardo displays will include a wide range of electric and hybrid demonstration vehicles as well as low carbon technology exhibits. In addition to the vehicle technology displays, Ricardo air quality team will also be demonstrating its roadside, real-world vehicle emissions monitoring system. This system, which can be installed at roadside locations of interest, instantaneously records the real-world driving emissions – of nitric oxide, nitrogen dioxide, particulate matter, hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide and ammonia – from each passing vehicle, in a completely non-intrusive manner.

“Ricardo is once again pleased to be an active participant in CENEX LCV2017, now in its tenth year and firmly established as the UK’s premier low carbon vehicle technology event,” commented Ricardo chief technology and innovation officer Professor Neville Jackson. “We are particularly pleased to be able to present the final results of the REVB project, which demonstrates our commitment to explore promising new electric vehicle battery cell chemistries. This project also demonstrates our capability in battery system design and control innovations that can facilitate commercialization of new cell chemistries. We are also offering many ride and drive opportunities in our latest low carbon demonstrator vehicles together with a demonstration of our real-time roadside emissions monitoring technology, which is a notable step forward in addressing the challenge of improving urban air quality.”