Magnetti
Marelli demonstrated their pioneering SFS FlexFuel
technology at the 8th Challenge Bibendum, the global
event dedicated to sustainable motoring held in Paris
last weekend. Magnetti Marelli's Brazilian engineering
division are global leaders in developing dual-fuel (a
varying mixture of petrol and alcohol) technology and
they brought a Fiat Strada Trakker to the event to show
off their production SFS (Software FlexFuel Sensor).
Opening last Friday the 8th Challenge Bibendum was
deemed by all to be a major success. The five-day event
focused entirely on sustainable road mobility, featured
presentations, round tables, tests, discussions,
demonstrations and other initiatives and involved some
2,500 participants representing around 100
manufacturers, non-governmental organizations and
institutions, who learned about the challenges of road
mobility, its impact on the environment and
technological advances to improve safety. It included
events on three sites: at the CERAM, the automotive test
track and research facility in Mortefontaine, in the
heart of Paris and at the CNIT, France's industries and
technologies centre.
Dedicated to
the memory of Edouard Michelin, who actively promoted
the event from its creation in 1998 and whose death in
late May was a tragic loss, the 2006 Challenge Bibendum
showcased advances addressing three key issues: the
energy challenge for tomorrow’s road mobility; advanced
technologies to serve road mobility which is becoming
more urban; and technology and road safety. Challenge
Bibendum once again fulfilled its three purposes:
listening, observing and discussing to improve
understanding of sustainable road mobility, a complex,
yet vital issue; testing, comparing and forming a
personal opinion on the subject; and bringing the
message to the general public.
The Fiat Group regards
sustainable motoring as an important future strategy for the
group, and has unveiled an array of initiatives, most
recently with the debut of the Fiat Panda MultiEco at the
Geneva Motor Show. Group engineering division Magnetti
Marelli, the leader in Brazil and in the world, has launched
pioneering SFS technology that allows cars to use ethanol
alcohol, gasoline or any blend of the two fuels.
Thanks to the four-year work of a team of Magneti
Marelli Brazilian engineers and an investment of 9 million
of reais (around US$ 3 million), the bi-fuel technology is
already a reality and its advantages are benefiting
thousands of Brazilians and mainly the environment. With the
creation of SFS (Software Flexfuel Sensor) - software that
controls the use of ethanol alcohol, gasoline or any blend
of the two fuels in the same engine - the choice between
the two fuels is now made by the driver.
"I am sure that, with SFS, we have changed the history of
automotive industry in Brazil. Worldwide, although ethanol
is not yet a product of wide use as fuel, there are several
countries interested in that technology because it uses a
renewable energy source (ethanol) and attains levels of gas
emission lower than with petroleum”, says Silverio
Bonfiglioli, CEO of Magneti
Marelli Powertrain in Brazil.
The SFS, a powerful
calculation software, is placed in the electronic injection
module, also known as centraline or electronic control unit
(ECU). SFS identifies and quantifies the combination of
alcohol and gasoline in the tank, using information
received from sensors installed throughout the fuel
injection system, among them the Lambda sensor, engines
temperatures, speed, rotation and knock sensors. Based
on these information, the software determines the exact
amount of fuel that needs to be injected in the engine
and also the optimal spark plug timing to ignite the
mixture.
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The five-day Challenge Bibendum focused entirely on
sustainable road mobility, featured presentations,
round tables, tests, discussions, demonstrations and
other initiatives and involved some 2,500
participants representing around 100 manufacturers,
non-governmental organizations and institutions, who
learned about the challenges of road mobility, its
impact on the environment and technological advances
to improve safety. |
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Magnetti Marelli's Brazilian engineering
division are global leaders in developing dual-fuel (a
varying mixture of petrol and alcohol) technology and
they brought a Fiat Strada Trakker to Paris to show
off their production Software FlexFuel Sensor. |
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The 8th Challenge Bibendum included events on three
sites: at the CERAM, the automotive test
track and research facility in Mortefontaine, in the
heart of Paris and at the CNIT, France's industries and
technologies centre, all which involved practical
demonstrations by the more than one hundred vehicles
involved. |
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The first version of a flexible system appeared in the 80s,
in the United States, but it required the inclusion of a
physical sensor to analyze the fuel, an unnecessary item in
the case of SFS, which raised the price of the
vehicle and still could not be used in Brazil due to the
amount of water present in fuels.
Alcohol and gasoline have different characteristics and the
SFS system updates all the engine parameters for any fuel
blend in a millisecond time. Although the engine power is
the same with any kind of blend, when the vehicle is filled
up with alcohol it has better performances, while with
gasoline it offers more autonomy.
Being a leader in the segment of flex vehicles with around
58% of the domestic market, Magneti Marelli keeps the first
place in the Brazilian ranking of electronic injection
systems: considering all kinds of engines (gasoline, alcohol
and flex ones), the company responds for around 40% of the
market in Brazil. With the expansion of this new market,
that percentage should grow a little, according to
Bonfiglioli. “It is a market very well known to us: the
origin of Magneti Marelli in Brazil was exactly in the
engine fuel system.”
The positive expectation is
based on the natural advantages of the system. It is a
Brazilian energy source that benefits the commercial trade
balance. Alcohol combustion produces less CO and CO2 than
gasoline and provides more power to the engine. And due to
the fact that it works with any proportion of the blend, it
guarantees the owner of the car the possibility to choice
the fuel to be filled, in accordance with its availability
and its price.
Another incentive to the flex system is tax. This kind of
car charges less IPI [industrial products tax] than similar
cars that use gasoline only, compensating the investment
required by the new technology. “Besides, the cost per
kilometre may be as low as 25% if compared with cars that
can run with gasoline only."
The production
of light vehicles in Brazil was of 2 million in 2005.
Statistics on the market show that 50% of all the vehicles
produced in Brazil this year were equipped with the flex
system, which represents 1 million units against 48.1
thousand units sold in 2003, year in which the system was
launched in the Country. Actually the flexfuel technology
represents 75% of vehicles sold in Brazil.
Since the launching of the system, Magneti Marelli, one of
the biggest manufacturers of car parts in Brazil, has not
stopped growing in the segment. Nowadays, the company
maintains the leadership supplying electronic injection
systems to almost all car makers. The company is working now
to increase its production capability, to develop new
products and to maintain the technological leadership in
this new market. “According to the projections, the
participation of flex system in sales may reach 100% in the
domestic market this year and Magneti Marelli will be ready
to attend this demand”, says Bonfiglioli.
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