Professor Hongming Xu CEng, FIMechE, FHEA, FSAE

• PhD & DIC, in Mechanical Engineering (Internal Combustion Engines), Imperial College, University of London, 1995
• MSc (Eng), in Mechanical Engineering (Internal Combustion Engines), Hefei University of Technology, Hefei, 1984
• BSc (Eng), Mechanical Engineering (Internal Combustion Engines), Hefei University of Technology, Hefei, 1982

 

Professor Hongming Xu obtained a PhD from Imperial College London in 1995 and then worked there as a Research Fellow and Senior Research Fellow. He moved to Jaguar Cars Ford Premier Automotive Group in 2000, where he was a Project Engineer (2000-2001), Team Leader (2002-2004), and Technical Specialist (2004). He was the  Initiator and Leader of the UK FORESIGHT VEHICLE Link Projects CHARGE (2002-2004) and CHASE (2004-2007). He joined the University of Birmingham in 2005 as Reader in Automotive Engineering.

He was appointed to the Chair of Energy and Automotive Engineering in 2009.  He was named a Birmingham Hero in 2011 for his contributions to clean combustion and sustainable transport research.

Teaching Programmes

• Automotive Design Process 
• Powertrain Engineering
• Turbomachinery and Complex Flow
• Sustainable Energy

Hongming Xu’s research interests include powertrain system control, fossil fuels and biofuels, fuel systems and mixture preparation, combustion, formation and mitigation of emissions.

1. Sathaporn Chuepeng — Quantitative Impact on Engine Performance and Emissions of High-Proportion Biodiesel Blends and the Required Engine Control Strategies, 2008 — joint supervision.
2. Jacek Misztal — Study of Homogeneous Charge Compression Ignition Combustion and Emission Characteristics in a Multi-Cylinder Engine, 2009.
3. Rizalman Mamat — Performance and Emission Characteristics of an Automotive Diesel Engine Using Biodiesel Fuel with the Influence of Air Intake Variables, 2009.
4. Paweł Luszcz — Combustion Diagnostics in Homogeneous Charge Compression Ignition Optical and Thermal Single-Cylinder Engines, 2009.
5. Marcin Frackowiak — Modelling and Diagnostic Study of Flow in an Optical Engine with Negative Valve Overlap for Homogeneous Charge Compression Ignition, 2009.
6. George Constandinides — Thermal Management and Control of a Homogeneous Charge Compression Ignition Engine, 2010.
7. Dale Turner — The Combustion and Emissions Performance of Fuel Blends in Modern Combustion Systems, 2010.
8. Jun Zhang — Particulate Matter Emission Control and Related Issues for Diesel Engines, 2011.
9. Richie Daniel — Combustion and Emissions Performance of Oxygenated Fuels in a Modern Spark-Ignition Engine, 2012.
10. Yanfei Li — Experimental Study on Spray and Combustion Characteristics of Diesel-Like Fuels, 2012.
11. He Ma — Control-Oriented Engine Modelling and Multi-Objective Optimal Feedback Control, 2013.
12. Fan Zhang — Spray, Combustion and Emission Characteristics of Dieseline Fuel, 2013.
13. Haiying Li — CFD Modelling of Spray and Combustion of Gasoline and DMF in Direct-Injection Gasoline Engines, 2013.
14. Chongming Wang — Combustion and Emissions of a Direct-Injection Gasoline Engine Using Biofuels, 2014.
15. Changzhao Jiang — Optical Investigation of the Spray and Combustion Characteristics of Furan Biofuels, 2014.
16. Dai Liu — Combustion and Emissions of an Automotive Diesel Engine Using Biodiesel Fuels under Steady-State and Cold-Start Conditions, 2014.
17. Powen Tu — Numerical and Experimental Study of Spray Characteristics in a Gasoline Direct-Injection Engine, 2015.
18. Daliang Jing — Experimental and Numerical Studies of Fuel Spray, 2015.
19. Chen Tan — Model-Based Control for a Modern Automotive Diesel Engine, 2015.
20. Jianyi Tian — Particulate Emission Characteristics of a Light-Duty Diesel Engine under Transient Operating Conditions, 2015.
21. Thomas Lattimore — Combustion and Emissions of a Direct-Injection Gasoline Engine Using EGR, 2015.
22. Ziman Wang — Experimental Study of Diesel Spray under Single and Multiple Injection Strategies at Room and Low Temperatures, 2015 — joint supervision.
23. Bowen Du — Numerical and Experimental Study of Spray Characteristics in a Gasoline Direct-Injection Engine, 2016.
24. Yasser Qahtani — Particulate Matter Characterisation and Control in Premixed Compression Ignition Engines, 2016.
25. Soheil Zeraati Rezaei — Experimental Investigation of a Premixed Compression Ignition Engine, 2016.
26. Tawfik Badawy — Optical Diagnostics of Flow and Combustion, 2017.
27. Hengjie Guo — Experimental and Numerical Study of Multi-Jet Spray Collapse under Flashing Conditions in GDI Engines, 2017 — Tsinghua University.
28. Yunfan Zhang — Optimisation and Control of a Dual-Loop EGR System for a Modern Diesel Engine, 2018.
29. Scott Cash — Hybrid Electric Vehicle Modelling and Control, 2018.
30. Olalere Rafiu Kayode — Investigation of the Combustion and Emissions Behaviour of MF and MTHF, 2018.
31. Quan Zhou — Artificial Intelligence for Hybrid Electric Vehicle Development and Control, 2019.
32. Ziyang Li — Online Dynamic Optimisation of Engine Management Systems Using Artificial Intelligence Methods, 2019.
33. Shuai Liang — PAHs and Soot Formation in Laminar Partially Premixed Co-Flow Flames Fuelled by PRFs at Elevated Pressures, 2019 — Tsinghua University.
34. Aawishkar Dharmadhikari — Particulate Matter Emission Characteristics, Dynamics and Control in Compression-Ignition Engines, 2020.
35. Lewis Parry — Diesel Engine Combustion with Dual Fuel and EGR, 2020.
36. Ji Li — Driver-Oriented Intelligent Control Methodology for Series–Parallel Hybrid Electric Vehicles, 2020.
37. Carlo Coratella — Experimental Investigation of the Non-Uniformity of Jet Velocities Exiting a Multi-Hole Injector, 2021.
38. Yinglong He — Developing and Evaluating the Driving and Powertrain Systems of Automated and Electrified Vehicles for Sustainable Transport, 2021.
39. Zhou Zhang — Effect of Ethanol Blending on Particulate Matter Emissions of Direct-Injection Gasoline Engines, 2021 — Tsinghua University.
40. Bin Shuai — Real-Time Energy Management of Hybrid Off-Highway Vehicles Using Reinforcement Learning, 2022.
41. Jingyu Zhang, Investigation on Flash-boiling Jet Under-expanded Shock Wave Behaviors and Spray Collapse Process in Direct Injection Engines, 2022--Tsinghua University
42. Zeyu Sun — Development of a Hybrid Battery Thermal Management System for Electric Vehicles Based on Merged Digital and Physical Twinning, 2023.
43. Cetengfei Zhang — Artificial Intelligence-Based Online Optimal Energy Management for Hybrid Electric Vehicles, 2024.
44. Min Hua — Deep Reinforcement Learning for Real-Time Energy Management of Electrified Vehicles, 2025.
45. Xu He — Artificial Intelligence Optimisation of Control-Oriented Engine Models, 2025.
46. Chengqing Wen — Artificial Intelligence-Based Energy Management for Hybrid Electric Vehicles, 2026.
47. Fanggang Zhang — Artificial Intelligence Optimisation of Energy Management for Fuel-Cell Electric Vehicles, 2026.
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B. Current PhD Students
1. Hongyu Song — Connected Hybrid-Vehicle Energy Management.
2. Yifan Xiong — Intelligent Traffic Control at Road Junctions and Planning and Control of Autonomous Vehicles.
3. Abdul Azis Abdillah - Battery state estimation and management
4. Shiyi Yin - Energy management of hybrid data-driven vehicle platoon
5. Bihe Hu — Optical Diagnostics of Spray and Combustion Characteristics.
6. Guikun Tan — AI-Based Engine Calibration Methodology.
7. Tianjun Su — Modelling of Engine Performance Characteristics.
8. Yuntao Xu — Energy Management for Hybrid Vehicles.
9. Donghao Zheng — AI-Based Investigation of Advanced Engine and Vehicle Technologies.
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C. Previous Exchange and Joint PhD Students
1. Xuesong Wu — Combustion and Emissions Analysis of Dual-Injection Strategies, approximately 2010 — Xi’an Jiaotong University.
2. Yan Gao — Catalysts for Automotive Exhaust-Gas Treatment, approximately 2013 — Shandong University.
3. Haichun Ding — Spray Characterisation of Alternative Fuels, approximately 2015 — Hefei University of Technology.
4. Jiyuan Xu — Characteristics of Direct-Injection Spark-Ignition Injector Deposits, approximately 2015 — Shandong University.
5. Bo Wang — CFD Modelling of In-Cylinder Mixture Formation, approximately 2016 — University of Nottingham.
6. Zhirong Liang — Analysis of Particulate Emissions Using Advanced Gas Chromatography–Mass Spectrometry, approximately 2017 — Beihang University.
7. Zhenhua Gao — Chemical-Kinetics and Fuel-Reaction Studies, approximately 2018 — Xi’an Jiaotong University.
8. Mengzhu Zhang — Computational Fluid Dynamics and Combustion Analysis, approximately 2020 — Beijing Institute of Technology.
9. Wan Chen — Noise, Vibration and Harshness of Vehicle Systems, approximately 2022 — Wuhan University of Technology.
10. Ze Zhou — Flash-Boiling Sprays and Binary Fuels, 2024 — joint PhD with Wuhan University of Technology.
11. Jinhai Wang — Deep-Reinforcement-Learning Energy Management for Hybrid Vehicles, approximately 2023 — Wuhan University of Technology.
12. Zhong Ren — Battery Modelling and State Estimation for Lithium-Ion Batteries, approximately 2023 — Wuhan University of Technology.
13. Yanhong Wu — Data-Driven Model-Predictive Control for Connected Vehicle Platoons.
14. Weiqi Jia — Prognostics and Health Management of Lithium-Ion Batteries Using Mechanical Measurements and Machine Learning.
15. Kun Jiang — Multi-Agent Reinforcement Learning for Energy Management of Electrified Vehicles.
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D Former Postdoctoral Research Fellows
1. Guohong Tian — Alternative Fuels for Internal-Combustion Engines, 2008–2010.
2. Shaohua Zhong — Biofuels and Engine Combustion, 2009–2010.
3. Dhananjay Kumar Srivastava — Gasoline Direct-Injection Engine Deposits, approximately 2011.
4. Xiao Ma — Optical Diagnostics of Spray and Combustion, 2011–2013.
5. Asish Sarangi — Fuel-Injection Systems, 2012–2013.
6. He Ma — Real-Time Model-Based Engine-Management Systems, 2013–2015.
7. Arumugam Ramadhas — Cold-Start Combustion in Diesel Engines, 2013–2015 — Marie Curie Fellow.
8. Mohammadreza Anbari Attar — Combustion and Emissions of Highly Efficient Boosted Engines, 2013–2015.
9. Lucas Miles Polglase — Development of Advanced Combustion Systems, 2014–2018.
10. Guoxiang Lu — Low-Pressure EGR Control-Strategy Development, 2015–2017.
11. Chongming Wang — Combustion and Emissions in Biofuelled Direct-Injection Spark-Ignition Engines, 2015–2018 — Marie Curie Fellow.
12. Manju Dhakad Tanwar — Engine Combustion and Exhaust Aftertreatment, 2015–2017 — Marie Curie Fellow.
13. Wei Zhang — Hybrid-Electric-Vehicle Energy Management and Control, 2015–2017.
14. Amrit Sahu — Optical Diagnostics of Combustion, 2017–2019.
15. Haoye Liu — Advanced Fuels and Engine Combustion, 2018–2021.
16. Quan Zhou — Vehicle Electrification, Intelligent Optimisation and Automation, 2019–2022.
17. Ji Li — Human–Machine–AI Systems for Autonomous and Connected Vehicles, 2021–2023.
18. Lixia Wei — research topic and dates to be added.
19. Liming Xiang — Alternative Fuels, Combustion and Engine Performance.
20. Xiuchao Bao — Laminar-Flame Characteristics of Alternative Fuels.
21. Xiulan Sun — research topic and dates to be added.
22. Sijin Guo — research topic and dates to be added.
23. Min Hua — Experimental Investigation of Ammonia- and Methanol-Fuelled Engines for Genset Applications.

Professor Xu is currently primarily working on the control of future powertrains using AI and machine-learning technology. He has research experience in flow/turbulence, fuel spray, mixture preparation, ignition, premixed/diffusion combustion, new combustion modes, emission formation/control, biofuels, engine modelling, and operational control. He also has experience in turbomachinery/turbocharging, engine design and various advanced engine technologies.

Selected major projects as PI (2002-2026): £12 million

Controlled Homogeneous Autoignition Reformed Gas Engine (CHARGE), DTI, 2002 - 2004

Controlled Homogeneous Autoignition Supercharged Engine (CHASE), DTI, 2004 - 2007

Combustion, performance & emissions of biodiesels (COPE), JLR, 2007 - 2008

Flex-diesel Engines with Sustainable Bio-fuels for Clean and Efficient On- and Off-Road Vehicle Engines (SERVE), TSB, 2007- 2010

Impact of DMF on Engine Performance and Emissions as a New Generation of Sustainable Biofuel, EPSRC, 2008 - 2011

HCCI engine technology research, JLR,  2007 - 2012

Thermal Management, JLR, 2007- 2012

Continuous Oxidation using NO2 Combustion for Exhaust Particulate Treatment (CONCEPT), JLR, Nov 2007-2009

Combustion and emissions of ethanol in a direct injection engine, Shell, 2008 - 2009

Combustion mechanism of furan fuels, Royal Society, 2011 – 2013

Biodiesel engine cold start,  JLR and EU, 2012 - 2014

Effect of fuel properties on GDI engines, JLR and Shell, 2012 - 2015

Next generation of GDI engines with boosting, JLR, 2012-2015

New control methodology for the next generation of engine management systems, EPSRC, 2013 -2016

X-in-the-loop engine control, JLR, 2013 – 2016

Study of Novel Biofuels from Biomass, EPSRC,  2016 - 2019 

Study of diesel particulate matter emissions, EU, 2013 – 2018

AI-based Hybrid vehicle energy management,  2019 -2021

Research on Real-time Optimisation System for Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle based on Artificial Intelligence Digital Twin Technology, JITRI, 2020-2025

Premixed Combustion Flame Instability Characteristics, EPSRC (EP/W002299/1), 2022-2025

AI and machine-learning strategy and models for hybrid dedicated engines, BYD, 2021-2022

Development of Dual-mode Engine AI Emission Prediction and Knock Detection, BYD, 2023-2026

Main research interests include:

1. Research and Development of Thermal Propulsion Systems

• Modelling engine air flow and combustion
• Fuel sprays and injection process
• Optical studies of mixture preparation and combustion
• Fuel properties and GDI technology
• Biodiesels and flex fuels
• New combustion mode (HCCI/PCCI)
• Model-based intelligent engine control
• Transient engine performance of diesel and biodiesel blends at cold start
• Particulate matter reduction

2. Connected and Autonomous Systems for Electrified Vehicles (CASE-V):

• Level 1 - Engine/motor level transient control
• Level 2 - Powertrain-level component sizing and energy management 
• Level 3 - Vehicle-level driver-machine interaction
• Level 4 - Fleet-level collaborative energy management with vehicle-to-everything (V2X) network.