Magna International says it is accelerating development work in active aerodynamics. Its Actero systems include active grille shutters, and active front deflectors. Long in use on the radiators of heavy duty trucks, grille shutters are now becoming increasingly common on cars and light trucks, including at Ram, Ford, GMC, Chevrolet, Porsche, among others.
A vehicle’s aerodynamic profile is a major contributor to its fuel economy, of course, which is inversely is proportional to CO2 emissions. Thus, the higher the fuel economy, the lower the production of CO2, a greenhouse gas. Expect to see many more active aerodynamics – deflectors, spoilers, wings, splitters in the near future – because they can increase fuel economy by 1% or more.
The latest Actero product to reach the market is a visible active grille shutter system. The system is a first for Magna in that the louvers, which electronically open and close to deflect air, are located on the outer, visible surface of the grille, not tucked in behind.
Magna originally developed and commercialized its first active grille shutter system for a 2013-model-year vehicle. It has more than 15 programs now running. Actero systems are driven by actuators connected directly with the vehicle’s internal electronic controls. Deployment is based on vehicle inputs such as speed, temperature and drive mode.
