The reduction of CO₂ emissions represents a major goal of
governments worldwide. In developed countries, approximately 20% of
the CO₂ emissions originate from transport, one third of this from
commercial vehicles. CO₂ emission legislation is in place for
passenger cars in a number of major markets. For commercial
vehicles such legislation was also already partly published or is
under discussion.
Furthermore the commercial vehicles market is very cost
sensitive. Thus the major share of fuel cost in the total cost of
ownership of commercial vehicles was already in the past a major
driver for the development of efficient drivetrain solutions.
These aspects make the use of new powertrain technologies,
specifically hybridization, mandatory for future commercial
powertrains.
While some technologies offer a greater potential for CO₂
reduction than others, they might not represent the overall optimum
with regard to the total cost of ownership. Additionally, the
real-life benefit may vary depending on external influences such as
driving style, typical route characteristics, etc.
The paper presents a systematic and structured process to find
the optimal powertrain configuration for this segment.