Industry News
French PM promises government support for diesel-hybrid powertrain development
5th October 2006
The prime minister of France, Dominique de Villepin, declared this week that he would mobilise maximum effort to assure the development of a diesel hybrid powertrain that would consume 30% less fuel than a conventional vehicle’s powertrain, throught the offices of the country’s industrial innovation agency, which he urged to give the project a €100m budget. The diesel-electric hybrid envisaged would consume 3.4 litres per 100km, and emit 90 g/km of CO2 – a 30% advantage over a conventional diesel and a 25% improvement over a petrol-electric car. (Le Parisien, 5 October)
- The UK’s Ricardo plc was the principal engineering consultant for the latest diesel-electric hybrid powertrain prototype developed in conjunction with PSA Peugeot Citroen this year, and tested in a Citroën Berlingo. Ricardo had earlier pioneered a light vehicle ‘mild’ diesel-electric hybrid prototype with a downsized GM diesel engine in a Vauxhall Astra.
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