Internal combustion engines nowhere near automotive extinction
ICE is not going the way of the Ice Age anytime soon. While industry suppliers are indeed pushing the pedal to metal in introducing electric vehicle equipment innovations, the internal combustion engine is certainly no dinosaur. Instead the engine’s engineering is in full turbocharger mode as the motors become smaller yet with more power, better fuel efficiency and fewer harmful emissions.
Like this article? Sign up to receive our weekly news blasts here.The basic technology could also be converted into alternatives other than gasoline or diesel should American drivers express ignited interest in propane, natural gas or the assorted organic energy sources. Don’t forget, Rudolf Diesel initially designed his motor plant to run on peanut oil so farmers could grow their own fuel; petroleum came down the road later.
At last year’s Normandy Motor Meetings in France, Delphi’s John Fuerst gave a talk entitled, “Internal Combustion Engine: Alive and Well in 2050.”
“The traditional engine is alive and thriving and will continue to dominate the automotive market in the next decades,” says Fuerst, who helped co-author a company report on ICE’s ongoing presence. “Internal combustion engines are undergoing significant improvements that are making them the best choice for use in hybrids and with biofuels. Combining that with their market advantages regarding power, manufacturing cost, autonomy, driving distance and total cost of ownership, it’s clear that the ICE will continue to be the most viable option for automakers and consumers well into the future.”
Apart from a full battery-electric option or a fuel cell, all the powertrains – including hybrids –will still require a combustion fuel-burning engine, according to Fuerst and other industry experts. “Global warming and high gas prices have given the ICE a bad rap, but if you look under carmakers’ collective hoods, you’ll see these piston-pounding power plants improving as consumers and governments demand better mileage, cleaner emissions and safer vehicles.”
In a 2010 report, analysts at J.D. Power and Associates presented a forecast that says 93 percent of the new cars sold in Europe in 2020 will have only an internal combustion engine, while 3 percent of Europe’s total car registrations will be battery-powered electric vehicles (BEVs), and 4 percent will be gasoline- or diesel-electric hybrids.
Power predicts that trend to be repeated across the globe, anticipating that BEVs will have only a 1.9 percent market share in China, a 1.6 percent share in Japan and just a 0.6 percent share in the U.S. by 2020. Globally, it estimates that BEVs could achieve only a 1.85 percent market share by 2020.
Analysts at IHS Automotive concur that the traditional powertrain will still be the dominant player in the market during the next decade. In a report also issued in 2010, they forecast that by 2019, ICE hybrids will have about 7 percent of the market in Europe, with electric vehicles (EVs) having less than a 2 percent market share.
Optimizing engines
As traditional powertrains continue to dominate the market, it doesn’t mean that environmental concerns are being left in the dust.
Emissions from diesel and gasoline engines that had a local effect – particulates, HC, NOx and CO – have been dramatically reduced by more than 95 percent over the past 20 years. With these achievements, the focus now shifts to the global issue of reducing CO2. And while passenger cars are only about 10 percent of the problem when it comes to CO2 emissions, they can be reduced with further optimization, according to Mary Gustanski, a Delphi engineering director.
“Delphi’s mission is to help OEMs meet the most challenging technical objectives,” she says. “We help them deliver undiminished vehicle performance while satisfying fuel economy demands and tough fuel emissions regulations across the world.”
Vehicle optimization can be accomplished by addressing issues such as weight, aerodynamics, friction, ancillary equipment and transmission. Considering the vehicle’s weight, reducing mass can help lower CO2 emissions up to 20 percent and improve fuel consumption.
Reduced-gauge cables, miniaturized connection systems, micro-fuse electrical centers and advanced materials are other elements set to lighten the load.
The efficiency of an engine can be increased by various measures, leading to a CO2 emissions reduction that can reach up to 35 percent, says Gustanski. The combustion cycle (higher dilution, higher compression) can increase the thermodynamic efficiency as turbocharging enables downsizing and downspeeding while maintaining the high levels of vehicle performance that American car buyers still expect.
Gas exchange losses can be decreased by de-throttling (variable valve lift, alternative combustion mode) as downsizing and downspeeding can shift the operating point to a more efficient position, she says.
Time to torque
“BorgWarner’s highly efficient turbocharging technology meets the highest demands in performance, fuel economy and emissions,” says Frederic Lissalde, president and general manager of the company’s turbo systems division. Now being applied to the first four-cylinder engine in the history of the Mercedes S-Class, the innovation presents “new benchmarks for powerful downsized diesel engines in the luxury segment without compromising performance.”
Declaring that “it’s time to torque,” Continental is adding turbocharger technology to this continent after experiencing engineering successes and widespread acceptance among European drivers.
“The North American turbocharger market is a tremendous growth opportunity for our company,” says Kregg Wiggins, a senior vice president at the firm’s powertrain division. “Continental's turbocharger represents a significant development for the smaller engine trend. Its robust design makes it highly reliable and able to handle extreme operating conditions.”
The primary components of the turbocharger are designed for fully automated assembly along the same axis, unlike conventional turbochargers that require assembly in multiple stages, partly by hand. Fully-automated assembly both enhances quality and puts a lid on the total cost.
“Thanks to its fully automated assembly, enhanced thermodynamic efficiency and completely new design, our turbocharger provides a tailor-made solution for environmentally friendly driving,” explains August Hofbauer, Continental director of application engineering and sales.
“Continental’s cutting-edge turbocharger technology will make it possible for modern internal combustion engines to remain competitive with alternative engines over the long-term with respect to efficiency, sustainability, scalability, performance and affordability,” he says.
The turbochargers, slated for initial installation in European versions of the 2012 Ford Focus and future models, including the Ford C-Max and B-Max, will be manufactured by Schaeffler, Continental’s partner in the venture.
Hofbauer notes that gasoline turbo engine production in North America will exceed 2 million units by 2017, marking significant growth from the 500,000 engines forecasted for 2012.
“Without any doubt, the number of electric vehicles and automobiles with hybrid drives will continue to increase,” says Prof. Peter Pleus, a member of Schaeffler’s executive board, “but over 90 percent of all automobiles worldwide will still have internal combustion engines in 2020.”
He goes on to report that “in most of these automobiles, internal combustion engines will also serve in the future as the single or primary drive source or they will serve as range extenders. These internal combustion engines still have a great deal of room for improvement in terms of fuel consumption – up to 30 percent in practice. And even if Japan can look back on a growing tradition of hybrid vehicles and electric vehicles, close attention is paid in Japan to optimizing the energy efficiency of internal combustion engines.”
“The requirements that efficient and forward-looking mobility place on suppliers to the automobile industry involve increasing levels of complexity in components, modules and systems,” says Prof. Peter Gutzmer, a Schaeffler executive board panelist who is also the company’s chief technology officer. “The continuing requirements for increased energy efficiency mean that the focus is on reducing weight, optimizing friction and the increasing wide-ranging variability in the valve train.”
