Can Mazda's i-Eloop Boosts Efficiency By 10%?
Contrary to the belief that efficiency cannot be increased without environmental compensation, it appears that #-Link-Snipped-# has developed a solution to do just that. The automaker has brought a technology called Intelligent Energy Loop or simply i-Eloop which can hike the efficiency by 10%. The environment friendly technology actually employs a specially designed capacitor to do the trick. The principle is to utilize the reducing Kinetic energy while the car is decelerating.
#-Link-Snipped-#
In the present automobile scenario, using regenerative systems in hybrid cars is not unusual. May it be #-Link-Snipped-# or #-Link-Snipped-#, regenerative systems are present in almost every automobile with a hope to boost efficiency. In this way there is nothing uncommon in the Mazda. It also uses normal components like Alternator, Capacitor, a DC-DC converter and related spare parts. However #-Link-Snipped-# specialty lies in the specifically designed capacitor for the cars that it might sport in the upcoming models.
In principle, the system works for recovering the lost Kinetic energy as the vehicle starts slowing down. As soon as the deceleration is detected, the alternator generates a voltage of about 25V and sends it to an Electric Double Layer Capacitor (ELDC). The specially designed capacitor is quick on charging and can be charged in seconds. The ELDC the stores the voltage and through a step-down voltage convertor, the 25V is input is available as 12V output. The energy thus available is not spent when the vehicle is picking-up speed. The energy is instead utilized in operating the electrical components thereby reducing its dependence on engine directly.
The solution does look promising but one question of course arises in mind. Aren't we using the shaft power for charging the capacitor? Taking a look at law of thermodynamics, the low grade energy cannot be converted to the high grade energy. Hence one thing is for sure, #-Link-Snipped-# places an indirect loading on the engine.
However as the test results have shown a 10% improvement in fuel economy, the designers seem to have tackled the problem intelligently. The technology will have an impact on Mazda's future hybrid models.
#-Link-Snipped-#
In the present automobile scenario, using regenerative systems in hybrid cars is not unusual. May it be #-Link-Snipped-# or #-Link-Snipped-#, regenerative systems are present in almost every automobile with a hope to boost efficiency. In this way there is nothing uncommon in the Mazda. It also uses normal components like Alternator, Capacitor, a DC-DC converter and related spare parts. However #-Link-Snipped-# specialty lies in the specifically designed capacitor for the cars that it might sport in the upcoming models.
In principle, the system works for recovering the lost Kinetic energy as the vehicle starts slowing down. As soon as the deceleration is detected, the alternator generates a voltage of about 25V and sends it to an Electric Double Layer Capacitor (ELDC). The specially designed capacitor is quick on charging and can be charged in seconds. The ELDC the stores the voltage and through a step-down voltage convertor, the 25V is input is available as 12V output. The energy thus available is not spent when the vehicle is picking-up speed. The energy is instead utilized in operating the electrical components thereby reducing its dependence on engine directly.
The solution does look promising but one question of course arises in mind. Aren't we using the shaft power for charging the capacitor? Taking a look at law of thermodynamics, the low grade energy cannot be converted to the high grade energy. Hence one thing is for sure, #-Link-Snipped-# places an indirect loading on the engine.
However as the test results have shown a 10% improvement in fuel economy, the designers seem to have tackled the problem intelligently. The technology will have an impact on Mazda's future hybrid models.
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