Support of the FVV Project Investigation of Interactions Between Fuels and Fuel Leading Components in Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicles

By 2020, the average CO₂ emissions of a vehicle fleet should be reduced to 95 g/km (2014: 132.8 g/km). Savings in the average fuel consumption of a vehicle fleet are therefore necessary and prescribed by policymakers. In order to achieve these goals, in addition to vehicle improvements, the hybrid vehicle market (especially PHEV=Plug-In-Hybrid Electric Vehicle) is expected to expand further. Since in PHEVs the electric motor is to be used as the main drive unit, the fuels in the tank systems of such vehicles have longer dwell times. The behavior of the fuel cannot be predicted with certainty. For a detailed assessment of the aging condition of fuels and fuel-carrying vehicle components during the operation of PHEVs, chemical and physical investigations and corresponding findings of the components are necessary.

The research project aims to determine the interactions between fuel-carrying vehicle components and fuels during prolonged storage in PHEVs under application-related conditions. On the fuel side, in particular aged fuels and fuel blends from petrol and ethanol/methanol or from diesel fuel and FAME and synthetic diesel fuels such as HVO and GtL are to be investigated.

The FVV Forschungsvereinigung Verbrennungskraftmaschinen e.V. (Research Association for Combustion Engines) has presented the final report under the title "Fuels for PHEV Vehicles - Investigations into the Interactions between Fuels and Fuel-carrying Vehicle Components in Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEV)".