BorgWarner collaborates with Michigan Technological University on Connected Vehicle Project funded by U.S. Department of Energy

BorgWarner is partnering with Michigan Technological University (MTU), and four other industry organizations, on a project aimed at reducing energy consumption through the expansion of meshed vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) and vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) communication, using a combination of simulated, closed-track and real-world fleet testing. The project will use multiple vehicle types – ranging from light- to heavy-duty – powered by different propulsion systems with varied levels of connectivity and driving automation to develop, assess and demonstrate energy optimization opportunities through connected intersections, arterial corridors and highways.  

Slated to kick off in October, the 27-month project was awarded $1.99 million in funding by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. It is one of 55 projects that recently was awarded federal funding in support of DOE’s Energy Storage Grand Challenge, a strategy to position the U.S. as a global leader in energy storage technology, utilization and exports.

“We have collaborated successfully with Michigan Tech in various capacities throughout the years and believe this joint effort will have a significant impact on energy optimization in the future,” said Frédéric Lissalde, President and CEO, BorgWarner Inc. “As a global leader in propulsion systems, we are looking forward to utilizing our engineering expertise to test, simulate and analyze how we can use connectivity to impact our various propulsion systems in order to help the industry achieve substantial efficiency improvements.”

To support the project, BorgWarner plans to work on propulsion system modeling for vehicles and significant development of the control system architecture to support analysis work for energy reduction. While much of the project will be done remotely, BorgWarner expects to also assist with vehicle testing and demonstrations at the American Center for Mobility in Ypsilanti, Michigan. The project gives BorgWarner the opportunity to target efficiency improvements to its transmission and engine sub-system components via connectivity enhancement.

“Being able to leverage BorgWarner’s propulsion know-how is critical to the success of this project,” , Darrell Robinette, Assistant Professor, Michigan Technological University. “We couldn’t be more pleased with the team we’ve built and are excited to further strengthen our relationships with BorgWarner and our other participating partners.”

In addition to BorgWarner and MTU, Traffic Technology Services, American Center for Mobility, AVL Powertrain Engineering Inc. and Navistar will participate in the project.