Dana Experts to Speak on Hydraulic Hybrids for Off-Highway Market at SAE 2013 Commercial Vehicle Engineering Congress

MAUMEE, OH--Sept. 30, 2013: Engineers from Dana Holding Corporation will speak on the "Development and Testing of a Hydraulic Hybrid Concept for Off-Highway Vehicles" at the SAE 2013 Commercial Vehicle Engineering Congress (COMVEC) tomorrow.

Lead engineers will provide details on the development of the SpicerŪ PowerBoost™ system, a new line of integrated hydraulic-hybrid powertrain concepts for the off-highway market introduced at Bauma 2013 in Munich this spring.

Deployed through series or parallel hybrid configurations that fit into existing vehicle designs with minimal adaptation, Spicer PowerBoost technology supplements all types of transmission architectures.

Spicer PowerBoost technology captures kinetic energy otherwise wasted throughout the drivetrain and working hydraulics, and then uses this recuperated energy to help power the vehicle, which can reduce fuel consumption by 20 to 40 percent compared with conventional drivetrain concepts, depending on vocational application and duty cycle. Spicer PowerBoost technology can also reduce total ownership and operating costs by increasing productivity, reducing maintenance, and allowing for the use of a downsized engine.

The development of Spicer PowerBoost technology is the result of a three-year program at Dana's advanced technology centers in Belgium, Italy, and the United States. Engineers have conducted extensive simulations and tests while equipping a demonstration vehicle with the system to determine feasibility, develop advanced features, and quantify benefits.

Dana engineers have published a technical paper for the conference that illustrates the concept and operation of the Spicer PowerBoost system as well as the development process. The paper focuses on system engineering principles and the model-based approach to system design, control, and energy analysis. Experimental results are also provided.

The SAE 2013 Commercial Vehicle Engineering Congress will be held Oct. 1-3 at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, Ill. The three-day convention features technological seminars addressing engineering issues for on-highway, off-highway, and military commercial vehicles.