超低排放的環保汽車（ULEV）無疑是未來研發的主題，而英國正在為此打造一座全球性的頂尖研發中心。該中心取名汽車高級推進系統研究院（IAAPS），由政府資助、巴斯大學負責建立，計劃于2020年初正式落成。借助高校工程系的專業技術，該研究院的研發重點將會放在先進推進系統的轉型創新方面。
福特（Ford）、捷豹路虎（JLR）、麥克拉倫（McLaren Automotive）、Hofer Powertrain、堀場集團（Horiba Group）等多家專業公司也都參與了這個項目。研究院幾乎囊括了汽車行業各領域的翹楚，可謂群賢畢至。而IAAPS也將為有志之士提供汽車工程方面的專業技能培訓，開設學徒制培訓項目、碩士課程及博士課程，并設有榮譽學位。
Chris Brace目前身兼動力總成與汽車研究中心（PVRC）副總監和巴斯大學汽車動力學教授的職務，他和他的同事、發動機與能源系統教授Jamie Turner將在這一新的項目中扮演重要角色。近期兩位專家一同接受了SAE《國際汽車工程》雜志歐洲區編輯Stuart Birch的專訪。
SAE：如今很多OEM、一級供應商以及其他一些專業咨詢公司都在研究并開發先進推進系統，IAAPS主要的探索和研究方向會是什么？這一方向的確立又是出于何種考量？
IAAPS的研究的研究將會關注實際駕駛工況、駕駛員行為以及先進推進系統這三者在系統層面的互動。要想打造出節能、高效并且經濟的汽車以供未來之需，就必須更好地了解這些復雜的系統層面行為。
SAE：在研究先進動力系統方面，巴斯大學有何獨到優勢？
通過PVRC四十多年的不懈努力，我們在某些專業相關領域已經積累起了多年的聲望，包括提升柴油與汽油機的能效與減排效果，以及電動推進系統和混合動力系統方面的進展。渦輪機械將繼續作為核心的專業技術進行研發。目前，我們的一項新任務就是要整合內燃機（ICE）并向混合動力過渡，從而更好地管理內燃機，同時使車輛能效更高，更加節能環保。
SAE：出于政治方面的原因，很多國家已經承諾，或很有可能將要做出承諾，要求最晚到2040或2050年左右，所有新生產的汽車都必須部分或完全實現電動化。這是否意味著IAAPS或巴斯大學方面會放棄對內燃發動機方面的研究？
大多數的政策都瞄準了汽車電動化，意味著在可預見的未來，混合動力與插電式混合動力都仍是汽車行業的研究重點。無論是發動機還是燃料，都需要大幅升級，以達到二氧化碳排放和空氣質量指標的要求，同時又不必在功能性和成本方面有所犧牲。因此，盡管我們會加大在電動動力系統上的研發力度，內燃機依舊會是我們重點研究的項目。
對于純電動車而言，要想提升性能并降低生產成本，系統層面的相互協作以及實際工況中的性能表現，仍是研究的重中之重。而我們在IAAPS的研究將會對此起到十分關鍵的作用。
SAE：目前，世界范圍內的大量道路用車都在以較快的速度從內燃機向純電動方向轉變?？v觀世界主要市場，相關行業要如何提供足夠多的能源來應對這一變化趨勢？
無論是從全球角度，還是從各類能源使用的角度看，這都是一個巨大的挑戰。航空業與重型車輛都是能源密集型燃料的長期“用戶”。節能技術若能在這一領域取得成功，將對全世界的道路交通運輸業產生深遠的影響。其實，這些需求整合起來，意味著需要大幅提升可再生能源發電量，而最近哈佛大學的一項研究成果可能會對這一問題產生巨大影響，其研究內容為直接通過太陽能制造液態烴類燃料，目前尚處于實驗室研究階段。
SAE：在您看來，如果替代能源采集技術得到進一步發掘，純電動汽車是否有可能被其他替代能源車輛所取代？若是如此，您認為這種替代能源會是什么，將會在何時崛起？
交通運輸能源需求巨大，人們也要求車輛實現輕量化并且使用起來更加經濟，這兩個方面都十分重要。因此如果能夠有一個收集并加工能源的設施，可以制造一種能源密集型液態燃料，無疑將會是非常有吸引力的解決方案。“電燃料（Electrofuel）”就是備選方案之一。目前他們以效率為代價來提升能源儲存與配電網絡效用，但不少研究已經表明，電燃料的商品化有望在2040年前完成。
橡樹嶺國家實驗室的最新研究表明，如果可以在經濟上產生規模效應，從水和二氧化碳中人工合成乙醇燃料并非不可能。若是如此，局面將得到徹底改觀。同時，瑞典的Climeworks也在其工廠開展實驗，采用工業手段從大氣中提取二氧化碳，而其他正在研究這一技術的公司與研究機構還有很多。因此，隨著用氫氣人工合成二氧化碳的技術逐漸成熟，這種碳中性液態燃料（CNLF）——“電燃料”的生產已成為可能，而我們接下來要做的則是使其更高效、更經濟。
CNLF能夠為充電基礎設施的發展鋪平道路，也可以有效降低車輛的成本。而有了這一燃料，相信汽車的效用也將能發揮到最大，令化石燃料望塵莫及。
另外值得一提的是，汽車僅僅是這種燃料應用的部分領域，航空和海運也都需要這種碳中性能源密集型燃料，而在這兩個領域，電氣化無法取而代之。因此，這兩個行業很可能會大力推動電燃料的研發，促使其成本降低。這樣一來，汽車行業的需求則又會增加。而有趣的是，這一新燃料很可能會成為電氣化以及氫能源這兩種汽車新能源的“掘墓人”。由于電能和氫能自身條件的限制，無法滿足所有各類交通運輸工具的使用需求。而反觀CNLF，從技術角度而言，這種燃料可謂是汽油和柴油的“完美替身”，顯然更能滿足各種不同需求。
而從長遠看，碳中性燃料可能會在能源儲備充足的地區（如沙漠地區）生產，然后再以我們運輸石油燃料的經濟方式進行運送。因此使用這一燃料的PHEV將會從以內燃機為動力源，轉向以固態氧化物燃料電池為動力源，因為動力產生的過程中沒有燃燒環節，空氣質量就得到了提高，碳和水之間的循環反應也不再發生，因而從對抗全球變暖的角度而言，這一技術可謂意義重大。
A global center of excellence to develop future generations of ultra-low emissions vehicles (ULEV) is being established in the U.K. Developed by the University of Bath with U.K. government funding, the Institute for Advanced Automotive Propulsion Systems (IAAPS) is scheduled to open in early 2020. Its R&D focus will be on transformational innovation for advanced propulsion systems, exploiting the university's engineering expertise.
Ford, Jaguar Land Rover (JLR), McLaren Automotive, Hofer Powertrain, Horiba Group and other specialist businesses are also involved in the project, which will see a dedicated facility constructed. The IAAPS will also provide training and skills development in automotive engineering, supporting new apprenticeships, honors degrees, masters and doctoral courses.
As Deputy Director of the Powertrain & Vehicle Research Centre (PVRC) and Professor of Automotive Propulsion at the University of Bath, Chris Brace and his colleague Jamie Turner, Professor of Engines and Energy Systems, will have key roles in the new project. They discussed its aims with Automotive Engineering European Editor, Stuart Birch.
Q: Many OEMs, Tier 1 suppliers and specialist consultancies are researching and developing advanced propulsion systems. What are the main avenues that the IAAPS will explore and support, and why?
The IAAPS’s research agenda focuses on the system-level interactions between real world conditions, driver behavior and complex modern propulsion systems. Better understanding of these challenging system-level behaviors is key to achieving the clean, efficient and affordable vehicles that we need for the future.
Q: What are the particular strengths of the University of Bath’s research into advanced propulsion?
Through our PVRC, we have a longstanding reputation [over 40 years] for delivery by improving the efficiency and emissions of diesel and petrol engines, and electric and hybrid propulsion systems. Turbomachinery continues to be a core aspect of that expertise. An emerging aspect of our work is the integration of the ICE into hybrid powertrains to better manage the ICE and allow higher real world efficiencies as well as clean operation.
Q: For political reasons, many countries have committed or are likely to commit, to electrified or pure electric new vehicle production by circa 2040/50. Does that mean the IAAPS/ Bath will abandon R&D into IC engines?
Most policy statements point to the electrification of vehicles, meaning that the hybrid and plug-in hybrid will still be an essential part of the fleet for the foreseeable future. The engine and fuel will need to evolve significantly in order to achieve the CO2 and air quality targets we need to meet without sacrificing utility or affordability. The ICE will therefore remain a core aspect of our research even as we increase our research into electric propulsion systems.
For battery electric vehicles, the system level interactions and real world performance will remain critical areas of research in order to improve utility and affordability. The research we will be conducting in IAAPS will play an important role in this work.
Q: Looking at the major world markets for road transport, how can they/are likely to provide, sufficient energy to satisfy the needs of a massive and relatively rapid move away from IC engines to pure EV propulsion?
At the global level and across all energy uses, this is a huge challenge. The long-term need for aviation and heavy duty is for a sustainable source of energy-dense fuel. Success in this arena will also have a profound impact on road transport around the world. All of these needs come together in a requirement for a huge growth in the availability of renewable electricity. One interesting approach that could impact on this problem is the recent success by Harvard in the manufacture of liquid hydrocarbons directly from solar energy at laboratory scale.
Q: In your view, will batteries be replaced by alternative power sources for vehicles via energy harvesting; if so, what do you envisage as practical alternatives to batteries and can you project a possible timeline?
The intense energy needs for transport, combined with the need to make individual vehicles affordable and lightweight, are so significant that an off board collection and processing facility that results in an energy dense liquid fuel would appear to be an attractive option. 'Electrofuels' are one way to achieve this. They increase the utility of the energy storage and distribution network at the expense of efficiency, but there is a lot of research that could make these fuels a commercial reality before 2040.
New research by Oak Ridge National Lab that can synthesize ethanol from water and CO2 could be a game-changer, provided it can be scaled up economically. Also, Climeworks in Switzerland have plants currently operating commercially extracting CO2 from the atmosphere, and are only one company/research institution among many researching this. Hence, through synthesis of CO2 with hydrogen a carbon-neutral liquid fuel (CNLF) 'electrofuel' is effectively a reality now; we need to work on the energetic efficiency and the economics of it.
CNLFs offer an evolutionary path for infrastructure, as well, and they keep the vehicles affordable. There will also be the opportunity with such fuels to optimize them in a way refined crude oil cannot be.
It is also worth saying that automotive is only one part of the problem. Such carbon-neutral energy-dense fuels will be needed for aircraft and shipping, for which electrification is not an option. These sectors will likely drive the development of this approach, forcing down the prices of such fuels, and automotive will then add to the demand. Somewhat ironically, this has the potential to be truly disruptive for both electrification and the hydrogen economy, because they cannot service all of the demand across all transport modes due to their unwieldiness aboard the vehicle; obviously, CNLFs can, since they are drop-in alternatives to petroleum fuels.
As a long-term potential outcome, I see carbon-neutral fuels made in places with abundant energy like the deserts and transported economically, as we do now with petroleum fuels in vehicles, which will transition from ICE-engined PHEVs to PHEVs incorporating solid oxide fuel cells, but still operating on those fuels. This will remove combustion from the equation, improving air quality, and close both the carbon and water cycles—which may actually be very significant from a global-warming-potential viewpoint.
Author: Stuart Birch
Source: SAE Automotive Engineering Magazine
Chris Brace 教授說：“我們會加大在電動推進系統上的研發力度，但內燃機（ICE）依舊會是我們重點研究的項目?！保▓D片來源：巴斯大學）
巴斯大學的動力與汽車研究中心非常擅長渦輪機械方面的研究。（圖片來源：巴斯大學）
Jamie Turner教授認為，隨著用氫氣人工合成二氧化碳的技術逐漸成熟，這種全新的碳中性液態燃料（CNLF）——“電燃料”的應用已成為可能。（圖片來源：巴斯大學）