NEW MODEL SERVICE PREVIEW BY PAUL WEISSLER Manufacturers are getting squeezed to improve their CAFE numbers. Two ways to get there are electric motors and multispeed transmissions. You can expect to see more of both. 2017 Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV 20 ServicePreview.indd 1 2017 Chevy Bolt 11/17/16 11:35 AM
2017 Chrysler Pacifica The 2017 model year is to some extent more of the same but different. The plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV), for example, came into prominence in 2011 when Chevy introduced the Volt and Ford the C-Max, both as a conventional HEV and as a plug-in. But now we have four new entries and their importance is to be determined. That will depend on how well they sell, which is important for the carmakers who need them for corporate average fuel economy (CAFE) credits and as gradual lead-ins to vehicles that will meet California s zero emissions mandates for 2025. Travel the highways of the Golden State and you ll see the billboards promoting electric vehicles. The newbies are the Toyota Prius Prime, Hyundai IONiq (part of a series that also includes a conventional hybrid and an electric vehicle), Chrysler Pacifica (a minivan introduced as primarily a gasoline-only model) and Mitsubishi Outlander crossover SUV (primarily a gasoline-only model, but with a unique electric-drive system). Don t confuse the Pacifica minivan with the discontinued Pacifica crossover, which was based on the minivan chassis but was a very different vehicle. Only the name was reused. Surprisingly, although just being readied for U.S. sale, the Outlander PHEV is already established as a best-seller in Europe. Let s lead with the Prius Prime 2017 Toyota Prius Prime 2017 Hyundai IONiq PHEV 21
New Model Service Preview As this cutaway image of the Pacifica minivan hybrid shows, the high-voltage battery pack is located in what would be the storage area for the second-row seats. Notice the cable to the 12V battery in the rear storage area. because, after all, Prius originated the hybrid category and actually has sold a PHEV version (although not in any notable quantities) for the last two years. That model has a range of around 11.5 to 12 miles in pure EV range. It has a 5.2kWh battery pack with three sections, only two of which are for electric vehicle operation; the third is for the conventional hybrid system. The new Prime, with a lot more feature content, will have double that range (22 to 24 miles), from an 8.8kWh pack. Toyota is claiming that the Prime will be able to automatically steer out of a tight (New York City style) parking space. We ll have to see that in person, because most automatic parking systems seem to look for spaces somewhat longer than street parking-strapped New Yorkers are accustomed to seeing. We wonder if it will have a surrender mode for those situations where a motorist somehow 22 ServicePreview.indd 3 squeezed into a super-tight spot, so a light would go on that says, in effect, You parked it; you pull it out. The Prime has the 1.8L Atkinson cycle four-cylinder engine (with late intake valve closing for high thermal efficiency), which features an upgraded electric water pump, cooled EGR and exhaust heat recovery to speed engine warm-up. The Fiat Chrysler minivans have been best-sellers here, and it took a lot of engineering to give the Pacifica a hybrid option a first for a minivan. The primary powertrain is the 3.6L V6 with its variable valve timing/valve lift system recalibrated for Atkinson cycle operation (again, a high-efficiency tool, with the electric drivetrain used to smooth the power flow). The all-electric mode is good for up to about 30 miles from a 16kWh battery pack, which is installed in a well under the second-row seat foot space. That space would normally be used for stow & go of the second-row seats, so that feature is lost on the hybrid. But the 80-mpg-equivalent rating would be a big CAFE boost, if the model sells. There s a 12V battery for the accessories, mounted in the rear storage area. The gasoline-only Pacifica is bolted to the corporate nine-speed front transaxle, introduced three years ago on the Jeep Cherokee. The rear liftgate is made of aluminum and magnesium, so if you send a Pacifica to a body shop, pick one that has moved beyond just bumping steel. The sliding doors are all-aluminum. The gasoline-only Pacifica uses the 3.6L V6 engine and the ninespeed automatic introduced on the Jeep Cherokee. This transmission is a filled for life design, but if there are shift issues or if you spot a fluid leak, you ll eventually have to be able to make a fluid check at the end of the repair. This requires a special dipstick 11/17/16 11:35 AM
New Model Service Preview Fill Plug The gasoline-only Pacifica has a nine-speed transmission that was introduced on the Jeep Cherokee. To check the oil, you must remove the fill plug. conventional hybrid to compete with the Prius, a pure EV to compete in the Nissan Leaf/Kia Soul EV category and the PHEV to go up against the Prius Prime. The IONiq will have an estimated EV range of 25 miles and be powered by a 1.6L Atkinson cycle four-cylinder engine, which also is in the hybrid. The hybrid has a 1.56kWh battery pack and 32kW motor; the PHEV has an 8.9kWh pack and 45kW motor; the EV uses a 28kWh pack and 88kW motor. What s most technically significant for service with the PHEV is that there s no 12V lead-acid battery to supply power for the accessories. But there s an underhood (at the left front fender) 12V two-post tap off the high-voltage 8.9kWh battery pack. This is where the technology is heading, although to date only one Porsche model has deleted the 12V battery. The 12V battery has no part in starting the vehicle that s done by the high-voltage pack, which, along with electronic control modules, is under the rear seat. Another tech feature you might not expect: The hythat s inserted through a fluid level check hole, resting the handle on the flat exterior surface of the housing, then comparing the reading with a graph. The details are in your service information system or at www.techauthority.com. The Ford/General Motors sixspeed and 10-speed automatics (the latter described later in this report) use a similar but simpler fluid level approach, which tells you that the conventional dipstick is on its way out. Lexus was the first volume manufacturer to initiate this development some years ago, and despite the complexity it introduces, carmakers are embracing it. Why eliminate something as simple as a dipstick? It probably simplifies some packaging, but the engineers insist the modern automatic really is sealed for life and the need for a fluid top-up is remote. The fluid used by the Pacifica is a special formulation, not compatible with the +4 fluids used on other FCA gearboxes. And the filter is internal; to replace it you must remove and disassemble the transmission. The Fiat Chrysler minivans have a twist axle rear suspension, a semi-independent design that provides a low profile to help maintain the rear storage dimensions. And because the battery pack is in the stow & go area, the Pacifica has lots of rear space for gear. The Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV is the first crossover of its type, and for that reason was very successful in Europe. The U.S. model also will be an all-wheel-drive design, with separate front and rear motors to provide the 4WD feature both in conventional hybrid and pure electric drive. The separate motors permit full variation of the torque distribution between front and rear for maximum traction. The U.S. specs will not be the same as in Europe, except for the battery pack capacity, which is also likely to be 12kWh. The batteries themselves will be a somewhat different type, to produce a higher discharge rate for better performance during the acceleration assist part of hybrid operation. The range in pure EV mode will be about 20 miles, which seems to be a kind of minimum magic number for a PHEV. To fit in the battery pack, the third-row seating on the PHEV was deleted, a small loss because it s primarily a small-child-fit. The PHEV engine is a 2.0L four-cylinder. The Hyundai IONiq series is actually a trio of vehicles built on one new (Elantra-size) platform. There s a B A To check the transmission fluid level on the Pacifica, insert the special tool dipstick (A) as shown, then lean it against the machined surface of the transmission housing (B) to take a reading. 24
brid and PHEV both use a six-speed dual-clutch transmission as part of Hyundai s single-motor/single clutch hybrid system, vs. the two-motor designs of most hybrids and PHEVs. Another service-related item is the grille shutter system. To date, carmakers have been using an openor-closed design open at idle and low speed, closed to improve aerodynamics at medium-to-high cruising when airflow is adequate for cooling the front-end heat exchangers. The IONiq uses a three-stage design, with a mid-position for low to medium speeds. You can expect a pulse-width-modulated, infinitely variable design eventually. As you ve probably heard, there s a CAFE credit for an HVAC system that maximizes the use of recirculated air, which reduces a/c draw, of course. But Hyundai, with others likely to follow, knows it also is helpful on these highly efficient Atkinson cycle engines that just don t produce enough heat for really cold weather (in fact, some non-atkinson engines had similar issues). So the IONiq also has a recirc mode for heating. Another energy saver, which you might consider an ECO mode variant, is the HVAC airflow control system, which can be set for driver-only. This zoning approach is something you re sure to be seeing on many if not most vehicles in the next several years. However, it does add a level of diagnostic complexity to HVAC system performance. There are two rear suspension systems for the IONiq series a simple torsion beam for the EV, which maximizes the space available for the large (28.0kWh) lithium-ion pack, and a multilink design with dual lower control arms for the hybrid and PHEV, which improves their ride and handling. The original plug-in hybrid is the Chevy Volt, introduced for the 2011 model year. It s now entering its second generation. The most significant change (officially for the 2016 model The Hyundai IONiq PHEV has a battery pack in an underbody tray. Electronic control modules are stored under the rear seat at end of the tray. year) is the 50% boost in EV range, from about 33 to 35 miles to about 53 miles. The battery pack capacity is up from 16kWh on the original Volt and 17.1kWh on the 2015 model to 18.4 for the new generation. But thanks to improvements in lithium-ion design, there are just 192 cells 96 fewer than the first generation. The two-motor drivetrain is more efficient (the increase in efficiency is a curve, with a peak of 12%), which, along with a 100-lb. reduction in weight, also contributes to the increased EV range. The engine also is a new unit, 1.5L rated at 101 hp, vs. 84 hp for the previous 1.4L. This wasn t done just for performance, but to overcome what some owners perceived as just so-so fuel economy in the gasoline-only mode just about 32 to 33 mpg. The new engine is EPA-rated at 42 mpg highway. However, in both EV mode and in gas-engine-hybrid type use, the two electric motors can both be used, which markedly improves acceleration (0 to 60 mph in as little as 8.4 seconds). There s also a pure EV coming to the Chevy line early next year, replacing the Spark (did anyone ever see one?). It s the subcompact Chevy Bolt (164 in. overall length), but unlike the Korean-built subcompact Spark, it s made in a GM plant in Michigan. The motor, drive unit and battery pack, however, are imported from Korea. GM is claiming a driving range of 238 miles from the Bolt s 60kWh battery pack, which is intended to put it in competition with the forthcoming Tesla s 215 miles. And as GM keeps noting, it s going to be available a lot 25
New Model Service Preview Top: For the six-speed Ford/GM transmission, remove the dipstick from the plug, insert it into the plug hole and read the fluid level. Above: The dipstick for the 10-speed should be similarly inserted, but the fluid level should read as shown. sooner by the end of this year. Of all the new technologies, the 10-speed planetary-type automatic transmission is likely to be the highest in production volume because it s going into the 2017 Ford F-150 and Chevy Camaro and that s just for openers. Is it the same transmis- 5 4 sion? Almost, as it s the result of a joint venture between General Motors and Ford. What will be the same is the special ultra-low-viscosity fluid used, which is part of the low-friction engineering package designed for very fast shifting, particularly 1-2 and 3-4. Supposedly, that s even faster than a Ford s new 3.5L Ecoboost engine has dual-fuel system. The significant parts are: 1. throttle body; 2. high-pressure fuel pump; 3. direct injection fuel injector; 4. direct injection fuel rail; 5. port injection fuel injector; and 6. port injection fuel rail. 1 3 6 2 dual-clutch transmission (DCT). The gear ratios are specific. But 10 speeds from two brake clutches and four rotating clutches, a wide ratio spread in a one-piece aluminum case (including bellhousing), with an internal bypass to speed fluid warmup, is common to the Ford and GM versions. The GM version has a variable displacement vane oil pump. The Ford edition uses an electric oil pump, so it can maintain hydraulic pressure during an idle stop, for a smoother restart. However, the computer strategy does not allow idle stop in four-wheeldrive. There are no cast-iron parts anywhere in the gearbox. The 10-speed is an option; the sixspeed automatic is standard. So make sure you know which one is installed in the vehicle sitting in your bay. Like many new automatics, the conventional dipstick is gone on both transmissions. To check fluid level, you must remove a fluid fill plug from the housing, separate the threaded plug from a mini dipstick, then insert the dipstick to check the level, which should be at the midpoint on the 10-speed, near the top on the six-speed. Finally, there s Ford s new 3.5L Ecoboost V6. The company has had a 3.5L V6 in its lineup for years, including a twin-turbo Ecoboost version. Well, that 10-speed is bolted to the newest version, and it s not just a tweaks-around-the-edges engine. Primarily, it has dual fuel injection, one port installed, the other direct injection. If all that sounds familiar, you may remember that Toyota introduced this dual fuel injection arrangement for smoother start-ups on some Lexus V6s a number of years ago. However, the Ford system apparently also contributes to overall performance. This article can be found online at www.motormagazine.com. 26