The Project

The THOMSON project aims to develop cost effective solutions, based on 48V architectures, in order to reduce the environmental impact of the transportation sector through a clever combination of advanced engines technologies, electrification and wider use of alternative/renewable fuels.

Approaches developed in the THOMSON project will demonstrate how the right combination of advanced engine downsizing/turbocharging technologies, coupled with a 48V motor-generator system, can provide the most cost effective solution for a rapid electrification through conventional vehicles.

The project will provide an exhaustive evaluation of this concept through the development of two different 48V architectures on two different engine families: on one side a mid-size 1.6 litre Diesel engine and, on the other one, a small downsized Spark Ignited CNG engine equipped with a Direct Injection system. This twin approach will allow demonstrating how 48V architecture interacts with Diesel technologies (especially with regard to noxious pollutant reduction) and, on the other side, with Spark Ignited CNG ones, emphasizing the CO2 reduction already achieved through the use of a low carbon fuel such as CNG.