Belted alternator starter (BAS) hybrid systems first appeared on GM’s 2007 Saturn Vue Green Line. BAS systems combine the roles of starts and alternators into a single motor like conventional hybrid systems, but instead of linking directly to the crankshaft, they are linked to the engine by a belt.
This makes it possible to integrate hybrid technology into existing engine designs without extensive modifications, but still permits the advantages of electric motors in hybrids, including regeneration and electrically assisted drive. This uses Principle 6 – Universality to use a single motor to replace both the alternator and starter on a conventional motor.
This same technology is applied today in new vehicles like the 2018 Buick LaCrosse and the coming 2018 Audi A8 (pictured).
Your turn
The BAS is an interesting application of Universality because it replaces two components with one, with the original components basically having opposite roles – the starter used electricity to turn the engine over and the alternator used the motor turning to generate electricity.
In the systems or processes you devise, are there two components with opposite jobs that might be replaced with a single universal component?
