Stellantis saves the ‘super’ ethanol engine to guarantee domestic hybrids

It has been almost four years since information emerged about the development of a revolutionary ethanol engine within the Fiat plants. The so-called E4 engine would be focused on high energy efficiency in the combustion of plant fuels. Now this project will take off and be used to optimize its future domestic hybrid cars.

It will be a turbocharged engine, with direct injection and thermodynamic improvements designed to burn only ethanol and as efficiently as possible. This will be the first step towards reducing CO2 emissions since the launch of the GSE engine family and will hit the market even before the electrified versions of the 1.0 and 1.3 engines, which had already been confirmed.

The information was provided by Stellantis COO for South America, Antonio Filosa. In conversation with Brazilian journalists, the executive presented the technological path that all the brands of the group that produce in Brazil will follow (see: Fiat, Jeep, Peugeot, Citroën and, shortly, Ram) to achieve a CO2 by 2030 by 50%. This path goes through electrification and is part of a project called BioElectro, which will have a global reach.

While the first step will be a strong bet on ethanol as the primary fuel in combustion engines, the pinnacle will be the use of ethanol in fuel cells to generate power for electric motors. It would be a system similar to the one proposed by Nissan, but still depends on a lot of research to be perfected and have a competitive cost.

What is more than certain is that the electrification of the domestic Fiat, Jeep, Citroën and Peugeot will have a combustion engine powered by ethanol as a pillar. However, flexible motors will not be discarded.

Filosa justifies the choice: “From sowing [da cana-de-açúcar] until use [como etanol], the CO2 emissions of an ethanol car are equivalent to those of an electric car circulating in Europe”. A story that also considers the origin of the energy used to recharge electric cars. “We can say that today Brazil has, by equivalence, the largest electric fleet in the world.”

The executive reinforces an already known information: the electrification of all Stellantis cars produced in Brazil will be carried out with components manufactured in Brazil.

“When it comes to technology, we will single out ethanol technology and electrification components, from lightest to heaviest. All with local development”, he reflected, recalling that the company has 1,500 engineers in the Betim (MG) plant and another 200 in Goiana (PE), places where it concentrates its development activities in South America.

According to Filosa, the next steps are in the short and medium term. “It takes between 18 and 24 months to develop a new car. […] The first creations will be presented at the end of this year and the launches will come in the coming years”.

Therefore, it is very likely that in 2023 we will see a Stellantis ethanol car, even if it is a prototype. But don’t be surprised if the manufacturer chooses one of its models to launch a version powered only by ethanol, which serves as a laboratory for its project.

First domestic hybrid engines

Stellantis does not intend to launch a mild hybrid car in Brazil before the components are produced locally. This ranges from the engine to the battery, via the engine management software. The engines that will be electrified are precisely from the GSE family, which have already been developed taking into account this evolution and already have hybrid versions in Europe.

In the Old Continent, the simplest system is the 12V one, which combines the 1.0-litre three-cylinder engine with a 5 HP electric motor, including versions with manual gearbox. The other, more robust, runs on 48V and has 20 HP and 5.6 kgfm to help the new 130 HP and 24.5 kgfm 1.5 turbo.

In these parts, the first drive for the launch of domestic cars with mild hybrid technology would take place between 2024 and 2025. Of the 43 launches planned by Stellantis by 2025, seven will be electrified cars. And the information obtained from QUATRO RODAS proves it Pulse and Fastback will be iThe first national hybrids from Fiat, already next year.

It should be explained that to transform the moAn engine/generator will be added to the 1.0 and 1.3 turbo engines in mild hybrids to replace the alternator and starter. It is connected to the crankshaft via a timing belt and not only provides the engine with extra wind when needed, but can also allow it to shut down when going downhill, recover energy from braking and assistance systems that ultimately deprive the car of performance. The tendency is for the system to improve not only emissions, but also fuel consumption and performance.

It is also interesting to note that Stellantis also speaks of national full hybrid cars. These are hybrids with an electric motor capable of making the engine move by itself or providing greater support to the internal combustion engine (which, in this case, will only run on ethanol) as it has a slightly larger battery, recharged by the energy of braking and downshifting or the engine itself the combustion. The company wants to reach 2030 with 20% electrification of its cars sold in Brazil.

The next step, anticipating fuel cells, will be the production of electric cars in Brazil.

How was the design of the ethanol engine?

The idea of ​​optimizing the combustion of alcohol in turbo engines in the Betim (MG) plant started at least 10 years ago with the 1.4 T-Jet that equipped the Punto, Linea and Bravo. Around 2019, this project was revived even before the 1.3 GSE Turbo engines hit the market and would have a “national patent” with the aim of “reducing the gap in ethanol consumption compared to petrol, which is currently 30% “.

What was known until now is that the E4 engine project ended up serving as a laboratory for the creation of the flex version of the 1.3 GSE turbo engine. Now, however, it appears to be on a mission to become the savior of this family of combustion engines and is very likely to win a three-cylinder version based on the 1.0 GSE turbo.

The goal would be to transform it enough to increase its efficiency on ethanol to a level not yet seen – and one that flex engines are far from delivering, as they seek a balance of efficiency between ethanol and gasoline. Imagine an alcohol-powered car with an efficiency per liter equivalent to that of petrol. This is what they are looking for.

Four years ago, Fiat enthusiasts said that the E4 engine project could guarantee the survival of combustion engines for another 50 years. It seems there are now chances of that actually happening, if only in Brazil.