DEARBORN, Mich.,– Ford Motor Company and the University of Michigan are working together to develop software that could one day allow drivers to customize the performance of their hybrid vehicles.

The project seeks to improve upon the software that determines when the car turns to fuel for power and when it turns to the battery.

Other academic work in hybrid vehicle technology primarily has been focused on fuel economy – often at the expense of drivability. Ford and U-M are looking at the marriage of both.

“The new hybrid controller design method we have created has the potential to offer consumers more choice in how efficient and drivable their vehicles are,” said Jessy Grizzle, professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at U-M. “I envision hybrids of the future featuring multiple modes or offering customers the ability to customize their driving experience.” Grizzle is the Jerry W. and Carol L. Levin Professor of Engineering.

As part of this project, researchers are analyzing data from 2,500 actual road trips to determine how internal electronic vehicle controls could be tweaked to further improve fuel efficiency and fun-to-drive attributes. The data comes from the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute’s (UMTRI) database of real-world driving trips.

Working with Ford, U-M has tested nearly 1 million design simulations of hybrid vehicle control systems and continues to conduct about 50,000 a week. This development speed is made possible by advanced supercomputing systems at U-M.

The research is still in its early stages, but initial results are promising.

“Working together with the University of Michigan research team, we are testing the boundaries of hybrid vehicle technology, exploring innovative ways to raise the bar on fuel economy and drivability,” said Dr. Gerhard Schmidt, chief technical officer, Ford Research and Advanced Engineering. “This joint work on hybrid software development shows great promise in helping us lead the development of more efficient hybrid systems for the future.”

Ford now has four hybrid vehicles on sale, with more electrified vehicles coming, officials say.

“Our work with U-M is helping us develop the next generation of Ford hybrids and bring them to market even faster,” said Ryan McGee, supervisor of Vehicle Controls Architecture and Algorithm Design in Ford’s Research and Advanced Engineering.

The new Ford Fusion Hybrid and Mercury Milan Hybrid deliver 41 mpg in the city, Ford officials say. And the Ford Escape Hybrid and Mercury Mariner Hybrid deliver 34 miles per gallon in the city. Ford also plans to produce a pure battery electric Transit Connect commercial van in 2010, a battery electric Focus compact car in 2011, and a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle and next-generation hybrid electric vehicle in 2012.

Also contributing to this research at U-M are Dan Opila, a doctoral student in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences, and Jeffrey Cook, an adjunct professor in the same department and a retired Ford engineer.

Ford Motor Company, a global automotive industry leader based in Dearborn, Mich., manufactures or distributes automobiles across six continents. With about 201,000 employees and about 90 plants worldwide, the company’s automotive brands include Ford, Lincoln, Mercury and Volvo. The company provides financial services through Ford Motor Credit Company. For more information regarding Ford’s products, please visit www.ford.com.

• More information about this work from the Department of Electrical Engineering and Comptuer Science.
• View related technical papers.