The analysis of energy consumption in a hybrid drive system of a passenger car in real road conditions is an important factor determining its operational indicators. The article presents energy consumption analysis of a car equipped with an advanced Plug-in Hybrid Drive System (PHEV), driving in real road conditions on a test section of about 51 km covered in various environmental conditions and seasons. Particular attention was paid to the energy consumption resulting from the cooperation of two independent drive units, analyzed in terms of the total energy expenditure. The energy consumption obtained from fuel and energy collected from the car’s batteries for each run over the total distance of 12,500 km was summarized. The instantaneous values of energy consumption for the hybrid drive per kilometer of distance traveled in car’s real operating conditions range from 0.6 to 1.4 MJ/km, with lower values relating to the vehicle operation only with electric drive. The upper range applies to the internal combustion engine, which increases not only the energy expenditure in the TTW (Tank-to-Wheel) system, but also CO2 emissions to the environment. Based on the experimental data, the curves of total energy consumption per kilometer of the road section traveled were determined, showing a close correlation with the actual operating conditions. Obtained values were compared with homologation data from the WLTP test of the tested passenger car, where the average value of energy demand is 1.1 MJ/km and the CO2 emission is 23 g/km.

This paper presents an empirical study of a spark-ignition internal combustion engine with modifications made to increase its effectiveness. The modification was implemented bi-directionally in terms of changes to the compression ratio and changes to the engine’s valve train. The compression ratio was increased by 2.3 units by design and a hybrid intake valve opening control was used in the engine’s valve train. The hybrid control involved autonomous control of one of the inlet valves with a dedicated electromagnetic actuator. The designed electromagnetic actuator was mounted downstream of the single-cylinder engine’s intake system’s modified camshaft to control the effective compression pressure build-up. Field calculations were carried out for the electromagnetic actuator’s design variants and its current characteristics were determined. The multivariate calculations were carried out in order to find the quasi-optimal geometry of the actuator. The width and height of magnetic field coils and the dimensions of the stator poles were changed, while maintaining the same external dimensions of the actuator to enable its mounting in the cylinder head system. In the next step, the prototype of the actuator was made and placed on the combustion engine in order to conduct the experimental investigations. The work was aimed at improving the internal combustion engine’s efficiency at the low load range, as this is load range in which it has low efficiency despite it being the most often used during normal vehicle operation. The original measurement stand was prepared, and many tests were carried out in order to investigate the influence of the electromagnetic valve on the combustion engine characteristic. This improved the internal combustion engine’s efficiency at its low-load range by up to 25%. Both calculation and measurement results are presented in form of graphs.

The analysis of the vehicle acceleration process is a current topic based on the aspects related to the general characteristics of the car, its parameters, design, drive unit performance, and the influence of external factors. Therfore in the article, the authors assessed the dynamic and energy parameters of the car motion, in which the intensity of acceleration of the car with different intensities was examined. Acceleration was carried out in two variants, the first for a normal internal combustion engine and the second for the same engine but additionally equipped with a short-term boost system. In this way, it influences the increase in power and energy in the car drive system, changing its acceleration intensity. Variable car acceleration intensity was obtained in the range from 0.12 to 1.37 m/s2 , and energy consumption at the level of 0.4 to 1.2 MJ in the distance of 1/4 mile. The article proposes a combination of energy parameters and engine power in order to assess the acceleration dynamics, for this purpose, the specific energy consumption of the car was determined, ranging from 0.35 to 2.0 J/(kg∙m), which was related to the engine power, denoting it with the dynamics index. The study focuses on the assessment of the relationship between the specific energy consumption and acceleration of passenger cars in the available powertrain system using a new dynamics index. The proposed dynamics index combines the energy and dynamic parameters of the car to be able to objectively quantify the acceleration process.

The study concerns the use of the PONTOS 3D optical measuring system based on the non-contact photogrammetric measurement method using image analysis recorded simultaneously by two cameras offset from each other to measure the dynamic deformation of the vehicle’s wheel. The research was carried out using the MAHA MSR 500 test stand that allows testing for various speeds and loads of the tested object. The tests were carried out on dynamical displacements of the wheel axle and deformation of the tire side mounted on the vehicle at different speeds of the test bedroll of 13.89 and 25 m / s. At the same time, the impact of wheel unbalance and torque load on dynamical displacements of the wheel axle were investigated.

The study contains an analysis of the acceleration process of a passenger vehicle equipped with an IC powertrain, aimed at determining a throttle control strategy that minimizes fuel consumption during acceleration while maintaining adequate dynamic performance. The first stage involved measuring traction parameters for a constant assumed engine power. The second stage focused on determining a control trajectory that would ensure minimal fuel consumption during acceleration. To achieve this the acceleration process was examined during a flexibility test in the speed range from 12.5 to 35 m/s, following an acceleration pedal control line related to the crankshaft rotation speed. Implementing the acceleration process along this control line resulted in a reduction in acceleration dynamics, accompanied by a decrease in fuel consumption per distance traveled by nearly 51%. An analysis of the average acceleration values for a given drivetrain gear ratio revealed that exceeding a throttle position of 70% yields no significant improvement in vehicle dynamics. The optimal throttle positions during acceleration were found to be within the range of 25% to 70%.

In this article operational problems associated with the use of landfill biogas as an alternative fuel in cogeneration systems, with particular emphasis on micro-installations based on the Perkins 4008-30 TRS2 combustion engine are presented. Such installations are commonly used in cogeneration systems, whose importance in obtaining stable electric and thermal energy is growing, especially when taking into account the additional reduction in environmental impact through biogas combustion. Reducing emissions of biogas, which consists of approximately 60% methane and approximately 35% carbon dioxide, directly reduces emissions of a greenhouse gas (GHG) with a high global warming potential (GWP). In this study the characteristics of the landfill, the biogas purification system, the measurement system and the energy balance of the entire process, biogas production → electric energy → thermal energy, are presented and the importance of this type of installation in the context of a low-carbon economy is discussed. Attention is also drawn to the operational problems of the cogeneration system, which led to its failure, requiring comprehensive repairs of the internal combustion engine.