Quest for a “Greener” World

This optimized flex-fuel vehicle is one example of Bosch's efforts to demonstrate renewable energy technology in support of sustainability

With grant support from the newly created Bosch Energy Research Network (BERN), University of Michigan faculty and students in the College of Engineering are hard at work on two advanced-technology research projects that hold promise for creating a more energy-efficient, environmentally sustainable future. 

As part of the company’s 125th anniversary activities in 2011, Bosch announced it will invest more than $10 million over the next eight years to support universities and energy research projects in North America. Part of a global initiative, BERN is a project aimed at educating future energy engineers by providing internship opportunities with Bosch in North America, and promoting advancements in energy technologies through seed funding for cutting-edge scientific research. In the United States, Canada and Mexico, the Bosch Group manufactures and markets automotive original equipment and aftermarket products, industrial drives and control technology, power tools, security and communications systems, and many other products. 

In 2011 and 2012, Bosch offered more than 42 internship positions in San Mateo, Calif., Farmington Hills, Mich., Bethlehem, Penn., Pittsburgh, PA, Fort Lauderdale, Fla., Charleston, S.C. and other Bosch locations. Interns, working alongside Bosch associates, contribute to developing market strategies for solar energy, increasing the efficiency and reducing the emissions from automotive engines, reducing the overall energy consumption in Bosch manufacturing plants, investigating smart grid technologies and other topics. 

“The mission of the BERN project is to closely partner with leading research universities, such as the University of Michigan, and provide support for early-stage transformational energy research,” says Aleksandar Kojic, BERN project director. “With this project, Bosch intends to accelerate the pace of discovery in areas of significant importance such as the environment, energy and mobility. Through our investment in BERN research grants and internships, Bosch reinforces its commitment to social responsibility and the deployment of eco-friendly solutions, while helping develop students and support researchers.” 

After a competitive grants selection process in fall 2011, the BERN program has awarded several grants, including two to researchers at the University of Michigan. In the College of Engineering, Don Siegel, assistant professor in mechanical engineering, has received a $300,000 BERN grant to support a two-year project focused on multi-scale modeling of lithium-air batteries. His U-M project collaborators include Charles Monroe, assistant professor in chemical engineering, and Alice Sleightholme, assistant research scientist in chemical engineering.

“Lithium-air batteries are the Holy Grail of battery technology,” says Siegel. “They have the potential for very high specific energy densities, which could lower the cost and greatly extend the driving range of battery-electric vehicles. However, before lithium-air batteries can advance from the lab bench to commercial use, a number of technical issues must be sorted out.”

In coming months, Siegel’s research team plans to develop a modeling framework that will predict the performance of lithium-air batteries. These models will be used to identify performance roadblocks and unlock the batteries’ full potential. As the project progresses, U-M and Bosch researchers hope to strengthen the collaboration through the exchange of information and materials.

“The BERN grant has enabled us to accelerate our Li-air research by connecting with other U-M faculty and with industrial researchers at Bosch,” Siegel says. “In effect, we’ve expanded our collaborative ecosystem.”

Heath Hofmann, associate professor in electrical engineering and computer science, has received a BERN award of nearly $300,000 to support a research project to design, build and test a prototype of a high-performance, low-cost electric drive. Abdi Zeynu, a U-M doctoral candidate, is collaborating on the project.

Hofmann explains that today’s high-performance electric drives, which power robots, hybrid cars, and many other applications, have motors based on the use of high-energy rare-earth permanent magnets. The increasing cost and restricted availability of rare earth elements and alloys have stimulated interest in developing an alternative machine that does not require the use of these materials but still delivers good performance and reliability. 

Over the next two years, Hofmann and Zeynu will conduct research and testing on a promising electric drive concept at the College of Engineering’s Power/Energy Research Lab on North Campus. 

“This prototype project could potentially offer a way of replacing the rare-earth permanent-magnet electric machines and drives with a new machine that is low-cost, high-performance, and efficient,” Hofmann says. “With so many drives in use, even fairly modest improvements in efficiency could result in substantial savings in energy.”

More information: Contact Umesh Patel, director of the U-M Business Engagement Center, at ucpatel@umich.edu or 734-647-6097 or visit www.bec.umich.edu.