Integration of a Belt Starter Generator in a Flex-Fuel Vehicle

The concern with global warming has led to the creation of legislation aimed at minimizing this phenomenon. As a result, the development of technologies to minimize vehicle emissions and reduce fuel consumption has gained market share. A promising alternative is the use of a belt starter generator (BSG): an electric machine to replace the vehicle’s alternator. This research analyzes the effects of introducing a 12 V BSG into a flex-fuel vehicle, specifically examining its impact on fuel economy and CO2 emissions when using both gasoline and ethanol. The utilization of a low-voltage BSG in a flex-fuel vehicle has not been previously studied. Numerical simulations and experimental fuel consumption and CO2 emissions tests were performed for the normal production flex-fuel baseline configuration and the vehicle with the 12 V BSG, following the standards ABNT NBR 6601 and ABNT NBR 7024. The use of the BSG led to a 10.06% reduction in CO2 emission in the urban cycle for the vehicle running on gasoline and a 6.28% reduction in energy consumption in the combined cycle. The results demonstrated that the low-voltage BSG is a promising solution for reducing fuel consumption and GHG emissions in flex-fuel vehicles. The electrical machine installation required minimal modifications to the vehicle and had a low adaptation cost. The BSG can also improve vehicle performance and drivability.