The FINANCIAL -- This year’s Paul Pietsch Prize, an award that is highly regarded in the industry, goes to the French automaker PSA Peugeot-Citroën.

In conferring this award, the high-caliber judges pay tribute to the diesel hybrid technol­ogy in the Peugeot 3008 Hybrid4. According to Bosch the award is further recognition of the outstanding joint development efforts by PSA and Bosch engineers to improve vehicle efficiency.

Named for the race sport pioneer and co-founder of the German magazine “auto motor und sport,” this award has been presented every year since 1989 for especially innovative developments in the automotive field. The innovations are judged by the magazine’s editors in conjunction with 25 international partner magazines.

Bosch supplies the most important components for the electrical power­train of the 3008 Hybrid4, the world’s first passenger car to combine a diesel engine and electric motor. The two electric motors, one of which acts as a high-voltage generator, were developed in-house at Bosch and are manufactured at the Hildesheim plant. Bosch developed the extremely compact power electronics, comprising DC/DC converter, dual inverter, and integrated hybrid control unit, in close collaboration with PSA Peugeot-Citroën. Combining a diesel engine with an electric motor reduces fuel consumption by as much as 35 percent.

In addition to this significant improvement in efficiency, having the front axle driven by the combustion engine and the rear axle by the electric motor results in four-wheel drive.Just two months ago, two PSA Group models featuring this technology won the “Green Steering Wheel” for the best automotive eco-innovation. This annual award is the green counterpart of the “Golden Steering Wheel” award presented by the German magazines “Auto Bild” and “Bild am Sonntag”.

At the Equip’Auto trade fair in Paris in October, Bosch won a silver award in the “green tech” category for its part in developing axle-split technology. And as early as September 2011, the University of Duisburg-Essen’s “ÖkoGlobe” institute presented the French automaker with one of its “ÖkoGlobe 2011” awards in recognition of its innovative achievement of launching the world’s first diesel hybrid.

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