舍弗勒北美未来高效车型的测试车展示，通过运用该公司多项成熟的技术，获得了显著的CO2减排效果。

技术专业人员运用舍弗勒的技术改进了MY2013福特翼虎(Escape)，改进款SUV与原款相比，在相同情况下，燃油经济性达到了两位数的提升。

在2014年1月13日的底特律北美车展上，舍弗勒集团北美区副总裁兼首席技术官Jeff Hemphill告诉《汽车工程》的记者说：“我们在第一阶段目标是达到：每一个燃油经济性的百分比提升，其成本控制在40美元以下，同时满足2020企业平均燃料经济性(CAFE)法规要求。而现在我们几乎完全符合最初模拟时作出的推测，节省了超过15%的燃油。”

Hemphill介绍道，舍弗勒的这款SUV测试车自2013年9月就开始进行实地道路测试，经过长时间的测试获得的结果是燃油经济性得到15%以上的提升，而CO2排放量也相应减少了近15%，这一结果获得了美国俄亥俄州一家独立测试机构的核实确认。

该款四驱SUV测试车（被认为是“北美未来的高效车型”）配有2.0L 4缸EcoBoost发动机，加上6速自动变速器，同时汽车皮带传动、气门机件和平衡轴进行了减少摩擦的调整设计，并配有低滚动阻力轮胎以及其他燃油节省技术。

热量管理模块则与奥迪某些车型和使用的舍弗勒组件类似，使测试车很快就达到了最佳发动机温度。该模块还为其他集成组件提供精确控制的温度平衡，在城市道路及高速公路工况下驾驶可以节省1%的燃油。

根据不同的驾驶工况，舍弗勒北美开发的全轮驱动（AWD）分离式离合器从动力传输单元(PTU)的后轴中将传动系统分离，后轴上的第二分离点可以防止扭矩通过后轮旋转而被转移至传动系统上。AWD分离式离合系统由液压操控的整合在PTU输入轴上的同步离合器以及由电子操控的后轴的齿式离合器组成，它能够在城市工况及高速驾驶的情况下最多节省2%~6%的燃油。

Hemphill还介绍道，舍弗勒永久啮合式起动马达使用了弹簧单向离合器，连接起动马达和扭矩转换器的外壳，在城市工况下驾驶可节省6%的油耗。与启停系统相配合的是来自舍弗勒的闭锁阀，内存有液压使变速器能够保持在第一档。

他指出该AWD分离式离合器、永久啮合式起动马达和闭锁阀都是第二代技术，“将在2017产品年投入生产”。

当前配置测试车的设计目标是，不通过增添额外的动力总成电气设备使其达到2020 CAFE要求，同时该车型还将会被持续改进。

Hemphill 说道：“第二阶段通过运用48伏中量级混合动力系统的改进项目已经启动，同时还会有其他的技术不断会被运用，不过我们还没有决定最终的组合。我们的计划是让这个车型符合2025年的CAFE要求。”

Schaeffler's Efficient Future Mobility North America demonstration vehicle shows how the company's various production-ready technologies can combine for impressive CO2 reduction.

Technical specialists retrofitted a MY2013 Ford Escape with Schaeffler technologies, and the payback is a double-digit-percentage fuel-economy improvement compared to the production SUV’s original mpg ratings.

“Our target in phase one was to get under $40 per percent of fuel-economy improvement and meet the 2020 CAFE (corporate average fuel economy) regulation requirements," Jeff Hemphill, Vice President and Chief Technology Officer for Schaeffler Group North America, told Automotive Engineering Jan. 13 at the 2014 North American International Auto Show in Detroit. "We almost exactly matched our initial simulation projections, which are more than a 15% improvement in fuel economy.”

Schaeffler’s SUV demonstrator has been accumulating real-world miles since September 2013. Fuel-economy improvements of more than 15% and CO2emissions reductions of approximately 15% as determined by Schaeffler testing were later confirmed by an independent testing institute in Ohio, Hemphill said.

Powered by a 2.0-L EcoBoost four-cylinder mated to a six-speed automatic transmission, the demonstration 4WD SUV (known as the Efficient Future Mobility North America) received friction-reducing modifications to the belt drive, valvetrain, and balance shaft. It also was equipped with low-rolling-resistance tires and other fuel-conserving technologies.

A thermal-management module, similar to a Schaeffler unit used by Audi on certain production vehicles, enables the demonstration vehicle to reach optimal engine temperature quickly. The module also provides a precisely controlled temperature balance for other integrated components and delivers a 1% reduction in fuel consumption for city and highway driving.

Depending on the driving situation, Schaeffler’s North American-developed AWD disconnect clutch decouples the drivetrain from the rear axle at the power transfer unit (PTU). A second disconnection point in the rear axle prevents torque from being transferred by the rotating rear wheels to the drivetrain. Consisting of a hydraulically operated synchronizer clutch integrated in the PTU’s input shaft and electronically operated rear-axle dog clutches, the AWD disconnect clutch system can generate fuel savings of up to 2% in city driving and up to 6% in highway driving.

Schaeffler’s permanently engaged starter, which uses a wrap spring one-way clutch for connecting the starter to the torque converter’s housing, can provide up to 6% fuel savings in city traffic, Hemphill said. Complementing the stop-start system is Schaeffler’s latching valve, which stores hydraulic pressure to keep the transmission in first gear.

The AWD disconnect clutch, the permanently engaged starter, and the latching valve are all second-generation technologies that "will be production-ready for the 2017 model year," he noted.

The currently configured demonstration vehicle was designed to meet 2020 CAFE requirements without additional electrification of the powertrain. The same vehicle will undergo further modifications.

“Phase two has already started with a 48-volt mild hybrid system," said Hemphill. "There will be other technologies as well, but we haven’t determined the final package yet. The plan is to bring the vehicle in line with the 2025 CAFE requirements."