Diesel engines are among the major contributors of nitrogen oxide emissions that cause harmful smog. While such engines emit less CO2 than gasoline-fueled engines, they still harm the environment.
To go around this problem, engineers at Bosch have refined existing diesel technology that would significantly lower the NOx emissions without driving up costs.
“There’s a future for diesel engines,” said Bosch CEO Dr. Volkmar Denner at the company’s annual press conference. “Today, we want to put a stop, once and for all, to the debate about the demise of diesel technology.”
He referred to their new diesel-exhaust system which the company claims to enable vehicle manufacturers to reduce emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOx) so drastically that they already could comply with future limits, according to its press release.
The new diesel engines and its technology relies on two factors: driving style and temperature.
Through a real driving emission-optimized turbocharger, air-flow management system becomes more flexible. This means that drivers can drive off at speed without a spike on emissions. Moreover, with a sophisticated thermal management system for diesel engines, the exhaust gases reach the required temperature of 200 degrees Celsius and beyond to ensure optimum NOx conversion.
Earth-friendly diesel engines Photo by Bosch
“Bosch is pushing the boundaries of what is technically feasible,” Denner said. “Equipped with the latest Bosch technology, diesel vehicles will be classed as low-emission vehicles and yet remain affordable.”
The technology has already been tested in real driving emissions or RDE. But the Bosch engineers said that the diesel engine has not yet reached its full development potential, and by using artificial intelligence it could even be improved further.
“We firmly believe that diesel engines will continue to play an important role in the options for future mobility. Until electromobility breaks through to the mass market, we will still need these highly efficient combustion engines,” Denner said.
The dream of Denner for Bosch is to develop a new generation of diesel and gasoline engines that produce no significant particulate or NOx emissions. But for now, the diesel technology, which components are already available in the market which could be immediately incorporated into product projects, is a step closer to that dream.
Source: Bosch
