Valeo
Valeo at Busworld 2019 in Brussels
Valeo will be present at the 25th Busworld exhibition taking place in Brussels from October 18 to 23, 2019. This key event on the industry calendar has become the biggest bus and coach show in the world.
After 48 years of existence, during which it was always held in the Belgian city of Kortrijk, Busworld is moving to the country’s capital in 2019 for the first time. This major change echoes the one currently transforming the passenger transportation industry – the powertrain revolution. In the interests of both the climate and public health, now and in the future, powertrains must reduce or eliminate their CO2 emissions. Around the world, cities are taking action to restrict road access exclusively to clean vehicles, limiting emissions of greenhouse gases and fine particles. The world’s major cities, and even some smaller ones, have become the new regulators, stipulating which vehicles can and cannot use their roads.
The solution being adopted for buses and coaches is powertrain electrification, a change that has a significant impact right from the vehicle design phase. How, for example, can vehicle manufacturers continue to ensure passenger comfort when there is no longer an internal combustion engine to help regulate temperature? The increasing popularity of more environmentally friendly vehicles raises the critical question of how much energy is needed to produce heat or cool air in the cabin. Batteries, which are highly sensitive to changes in temperature, also pose a challenge because they need to be constantly maintained within the optimal operating range.
Valeo is the world leader in CO2 emissions reduction and also in air conditioning systems for buses and coaches. Valeo’s innovations provide practical, efficient solutions, regardless of the weather, the size of the vehicle, its powertrain type, and the nature (whether urban, peri-urban or long-haul) and duration of its journey. The technologies developed by Valeo generate the right air flows, while using the minimum amount of energy necessary and reusing recoverable energy. These actions are driven by electronics and software programs that are also developed by Valeo.
Valeo is also innovating in the area of battery cooling, with new systems that extend vehicle range and improve the preservation of battery service life. All these innovations work together to reduce the total cost of operating buses and coaches.
The innovative technologies presented by Valeo at the 25th Busworld exhibition offer clear insights into what mobility will look like in the future. And given that some of them are already being fitted in vehicles coming off the assembly line today, that future is very near. All of these technologies are designed to bridge the gap between the challenges facing our planet today and the need for people in every part of the world to get around, both in urban areas and elsewhere. Innovation is the driving force behind the future of transportation. It is also central to Valeo’s strategy, as illustrated by the fact that the company invested over 2 billion euros, or close to 13% of original equipment sales, in Research and Development in 2018.
From One Revolution to Another: Increased Electrification of Buses and Coaches and the Innovations Required in Their Air Conditioning Systems
When a global market has expanded by almost one third in just one year, it’s clearly worth taking note. According to a report published in May 2019 by BloombergNEF1, the global electric bus fleet grew by around 32% in 2018.
This massive shift toward electric buses is having a significant impact on vehicle design, and more particularly on the design of vehicle systems that are linked to the powertrain. The first to be affected are the air conditioning (a/c) systems used to heat and cool vehicle interiors. Valeo is the world leader in this area and its comprehensive product offering covers all applications and all types of vehicles used for passenger transportation, including minibuses, shuttles, school buses, standard and articulated buses, coaches and double-deckers.
Valeo offers a range of roof-mounted a/c units, some of which operate via heat pump systems. Its product portfolio also includes electric water pumps, heating systems with very high heating capacity, and control units to manage all these systems easily and accurately from the driver’s seat. Valeo also markets very compact heating and air conditioning units that are perfectly adapted to smaller vehicles, such as vans and minibuses. In a world first, Valeo will be unveiling at Busworld 2019 the new Valeo REVO-E HP R744, an all-electric rooftop a/c unit that uses a natural refrigerant and generates zero emissions.
Valeo REVO-E HP R744: Zero-Emissions Heating and Cooling Unit
Valeo has taken inspiration from the construction industry to develop a small scale (a technological feat in and of itself) reversible heat pump, which heats, cools and
demists electric vehicle cabins.
The new Valeo REVO-E HP R744 system is an electric rooftop a/c unit equipped with a heat pump function, for hybrid and electric buses. The environmentally neutral, zero-emissions HVAC system operates with R744, a natural coolant, at outside temperatures of -20°C to 44°C. The fully automatic, energy efficient system selects the appropriate operating mode, switching from air conditioning to the heat pump or de-icing function. The de-icing function is automatically activated when outside temperatures drop below 5°C, preventing it from icing up, which can happen with traditional heat pumps.
Valeo SPump Electric Circulation Pump Family Welcomes a New Version
Valeo has supplemented its latest generation of SPump circulation pumps with a 120W version that is particularly suitable for smaller water circuits and electric buses. The 120W model has 40% fewer individual parts than a traditional electric water pump, making it the lightest weight and most compact system of its kind. It also features a smart diagnostic function that provides alerts to limit consumption. This is a major advantage for all hybrid, plug-in hybrid and all-electric commercial vehicles, which are dependent on efficient energy management.
All Valeo SPumps feature a smart diagnostic function that provides alerts to limit consumption. This is a major advantage for all hybrid, plug-in hybrid and all-electric commercial vehicles, which are dependent on efficient energy management.
