The iDea (Intelligent Diesel Engine Application) project was launched in 2007 as a result of a series of considerations on the evolution of individual mobility needs in Europe and in the world, and as a results of the desire to guarantee a high level of competitiveness for the Piedmont region in the near future. iDea, therefore, wanted to develop technological solutions anticipating the needs and requirements of diesel engines expected in 2020 and beyond, guaranteeing the level of performance and usability that this engine has earned in its evolution, running in parallel the development of traditional propulsion and its hybrid transformation.
The project is therefore based on the application of an innovative diesel engine, in line with future pollutant emission standards and highly efficient (target: <60 g/km of CO2), in a multi-mode hybrid architecture with a significant pure electric range (about 20 km) for circulation in ZTL areas, a hybrid drive for urban “stop-and-go” and a thermal-only drive in conditions of maximum engine efficiency.
The development of the project moved in parallel along two lines in which two solutions were studied and evaluated, with the Diesel stand-alone, for possible low-cost applications in non-European markets, and with a Diesel-hybrid plug-in propulsion architecture capable of satisfying the more sophisticated needs of developed markets.
The aim of the project can be summarised as the search for technological solutions for a small-sized Diesel engine oriented to:
- Improve efficiency through reduced friction losses, reduced heat dissipation, waste heat recovery.
- Minimising direct emissions of pollutants through optimisation of the combustion process.
- Increase efficiency and compactness of exhaust after-treatment for more favourable packaging.
- Further reducing fuel consumption through a specific hybrid architecture at a low cost.
The ‘iDea’ project is realised thanks to co-financing from the ERDF Piedmont 2007-2013
Axis I “Innovation and productive transition” Measure I.1.1 “Innovative platforms”