Active grille shutter

Located in the front end of the vehicle, Valeo’s Active Grill Shutter controls and adjusts air flow to improve the vehicle’s aerodynamics and thermal performance using a system of controlled shutters. Its design has been optimized for air circulation and watertightness.

Most vehicles are designed with air inlets that allow for effective thermal management in extreme conditions such as in very hot weather or with a heavy engine load. The air that circulates beneath the hood reduces aerodynamic performance. So Valeo has designed the Active Grill Shutter: integrated into the front-end module of the vehicle, it varies air distribution by opening and closing in line with the real thermal needs of the vehicle.

In ordinary driving conditions, the shutters are closed to reduce vehicle consumption and improve thermal and acoustic comfort.

An actuator with integrated electronics controls the opening and closing of the shutters. When air conditioning is required, the electronic controls open the shutters to improve the temperature. Conversely, when the temperature of the engine coolant allows it, the system closes the shutters to reduce noise and consumption.

This solution offers a number of tangible advantages to reduce vehicle consumption and improve comfort and driver safety:

• Closing the shutters reduces the drag coefficient at a stable speed, thereby improving aerodynamic performance. When started in cold weather, the engine warms up more quickly. This optimizes vehicle consumption, and CO? emissions are reduced to as low as 2g per kilometer.
• For greater thermal comfort, closing the shutters allows the cabin to be heated more quickly. Time taken to de-ice the windshield in cold weather is halved, improving driver safety. Lastly, exterior noise is reduced by 1.2 dB (decibels).