Presentation at the
59th International Automotive Press Briefing
Boxberg, June 2009

An electric vehicle uses energy extremely efficiently. In fact, it can travel two and a half times the distance of a car with a combustion engine, using the same amount of energy. In the long run, therefore, the electric motor will be the dominant automotive drive.

For the next 20 years, however, the internal combustion engine will remain the automotive drive of choice. Using the technology available today, a car equipped with an internal combustion engine can drive 40 times further than electric vehicles per kilogram of energy store. And there is still a lot we can do to tap the wealth of developmental potential this engine has to offer. We can make it even more efficient, whether it runs on diesel or gasoline.

No matter how strict, emissions targets can be attained most quickly and cost effectively with the internal combustion engine. As a result, driving will become even more eco-friendly. Moreover, these new technologies pay off for consumers.

The internal combustion engine still has great potential
As the world's leading automotive supplier, Bosch provides virtually all car manufacturers with essential technologies. Our products and services range from simple sensors to larger components, from complete injection systems to concepts for entire engines. And it is on the basis of this experience, combined with our innovative strength, that we can assess the further development of the automotive drive – an assessment which is largely independent of the individual interests of any particular automobile manufacturer.
Based on this knowledge, we expect that in a few years, a standard series car will be available in the compact to mid-size range that can drive 100 kilometers on three liters of fuel. To put it another way, this will be a car that can drive 33 kilometers on one liter of fuel, 78 miles on one U.S. gallon, or 94 miles on one U.K. gallon. Weighing in at 1,200 kilograms, this car will not be lightweight. With CO2 emissions of 70 grams per kilometer, it will be well within environmental policy targets. Bosch is working on a whole range of technological developments which are paving the way for this new vehicle.

Today, the gasoline engine is the most common drive technology in the world. Built into a typical European car of about 1,400 kilograms, the standard two-liter, four-cylinder engine with manifold injection develops power of about 100 kilowatts. This vehicle consumes 7.7 liters of gasoline per 100 kilometers and emits 182 grams of CO2 per kilometer. I will be referring to this standard engine again when I speak about the technological advances that we have already put into practice, and those which we will implement in the near future.

Compared to this standard engine, modern engine systems are considerably more fuel efficient: a gasoline engine with direct injection and certain features of downsizing consumes 15 percent less fuel. In contrast, a conventional diesel engine with common-rail injection consumes 30 percent less fuel, the same amount as a gasoline hybrid.

Fuel-consumption and emission values such as these, which are common today, are by no means the last word for the internal-combustion engine and its corresponding drive concepts. Bosch developers are already working on technologies that will reduce fuel consumption and CO2 emissions even further.

The strong market impact of a more efficient gasoline engine
With a reduction in fuel consumption and CO2 emissions of 25 to 30 percent, our engineers predict that the development potential of the gasoline engine is slightly less than that of a diesel. Nonetheless, the high market share of the gasoline engine worldwide means that these improvements are certain to have a great impact. Even though the cost of filling a tank varies considerably around the world, significantly lower CO2 emissions and a more conservative use of fossil fuels reflect the goals of the automotive industry and the increasingly strict emissions policies in most countries. Bosch technologies for internal-combustion engines are an important basis for reaching these ambitious emission targets.

Worldwide, just under two-thirds of cars sold today have a gasoline engine with manifold injection. Solely with direct fuel injection and a slightly downsized engine, it is possible to reduce fuel consumption by a good 15 percent, with a corresponding reduction in CO2 emissions. Several automobile manufacturers have taken the lead in this field, especially with high-volume gasoline-powered models that employ the Bosch “DI-Motronic” direct injection system. In Europe, for example, this system has been adopted by Volkswagen and BMW Mini in cooperation with Peugeot. In the U.S., Ford uses DI-Motronic in its “EcoBoost program” for 6-cylinder engines. And in Asia, it is found in Suzuki K-cars with 0.66-liter, 3-cylinder engines.

In our technology packages to make gasoline engines more fuel-efficient, the decisive downsizing factors are direct injection and the turbocharger. In our first technology package, we have also introduced a variable timing control of the engine intake and outlet valves. We have supplemented this valve control to include scavenging through valve overlap. Especially at low engine speeds, scavenging ensures that more fresh air is fed into the cylinders – this considerably boosts torque and provides the desired level of performance, even if the engine has been downsized to 1.4 liters.

This technology package further reduces consumption with our start-stop system, which stops the engine when the vehicle is at a standstill. Our thermal management system, in turn, improves the efficiency of the engine. These technologies help reduce gasoline consumption by about 22 percent, with a similar reduction in CO2 emissions.

With our second technology package for the gasoline engine, we aim for a roughly 29 percent reduction in fuel consumption by 2015. This will involve downsizing the engine to 1.1 liters without compromising engine power and torque. Performance will be comparable to our standard 100-kilowatt, two-liter engine. In contrast to the first technology package, we will also increase turbocharger boost pressure from 1.8 to about 2.4 bar. This means that the engine will receive even more combustion air. This allows the same quantity of fuel to be injected, and thus the same engine power to be achieved, despite the smaller combustion chamber. But in order to do this, we need a more elaborate valve control which allows not only the valve timing, but also the valve lift itself and thus also the intake diameter, to be varied.

DI-Motronic, the second generation of Bosch gasoline direct injection, is the basis for these improvements in fuel economy. At the same time, it also improves mixture preparation, and in this way significantly reduces hydrocarbon (HC) and nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions. DI-Motronic has no difficulty meeting the U.S.-defined SULEV (super ultra low emission vehicle) standard, currently the strictest in the world. This leaves room for maneuver to accommodate even stricter emission limits in the future. Moreover, this injection technology is so robust that it is well-suited to the various types and qualities of fuel available in different parts of the world.

In addition to this technology package, our developers predict the first series application of the new HCCI (homogeneous charge compression ignition) combustion process for the gasoline engine by 2015. The improved efficiency provided by this process, especially in the partial load range, could reduce gasoline consumption by a further two to three percentage points.

Improved efficiency is the key to
a more economical and eco-friendly diesel engine
For engineers working on the diesel engine, the challenge of reducing fuel consumption has intensified. With the transition from Euro 5 to Euro 6 emissions norms, NOx emissions have to be cut by more than half. To achieve this, Bosch engineers have optimized the conventional combustion process. We have successfully reduced the level of nitrogen oxide by increasing the exhaust-gas recirculation rate, the charge pressure of the combustion air, and the fuel injection pressure at many points in the engine map. This is the basis of the first technology package, which aims to reduce fuel consumption and CO2 emissions by 22 percent compared with the standard diesel engine, and by 45 percent compared with the standard gasoline engine. This will reduce emissions to only 112 grams per kilometer, a figure that is already slightly better than for the hybrid version of the gasoline engine. This technology package also includes elements we are familiar with from the gasoline engine, such as downsizing, start-stop, and thermal management. It also features very close pre-injection, which is achieved with our new, faster-switching injection valves.

To improve the efficiency of the diesel engine, our engineers are also focusing on exhaust-gas treatment. To meet ever stricter exhaust limits, higher-power diesel engines in heavy vehicles will need a catalytic converter to effectively reduce nitrogen oxide emissions. In addition, Bosch engineers have taken the Denoxtronic system for SCR (selective catalytic reduction), which has a proven track record in the area of commercial vehicles, and adapted the technology to passenger cars. Some diesel vehicles have already been equipped with this technology, which meets the very strict emission control legislation for diesel cars in the U.S.

Exhaust-gas treatment opens up new scope for engineers to further improve the effectiveness of the diesel engine. As combustion temperatures in the cylinder rise, so does the efficiency of the engine. But at the same time, this also causes an increase in harmful nitrogen oxide emissions, which are subject to strict legal limits. But if nitrogen oxide emissions are limited by an SCR catalytic converter in the exhaust system, higher combustion temperatures in the engine can be allowed. This increases the efficiency of diesel fuel, and consumption decreases. With this configuration and our Denoxtronic system, we can reduce diesel consumption by an additional five to seven percentage points. Along with further downsizing to a 1.2-liter engine and 83 kilowatts of power per liter of displacement, these measures reduce CO2 emissions to 97 grams per kilometer. The consumption of this Euro 5 diesel is thus reduced by 33 percent. And as a diesel hybrid, this engine would consume 40 percent less than a conventional common-rail diesel. In this area, we have a close development partnership with PSA Peugeot Citroën, one of the world's largest diesel engine manufacturers.

Injection technology plays a decisive role in all our approaches to reducing emission and consumption, especially with regard to injection pressure and injection pattern. For the first time, we have applied a pressure-balanced valve to our most advanced common-rail system, which features solenoid control. This allows us to further improve the dynamics of the injection process, even with an injection pressure of 1800 bar or higher. The technically more complex Bosch common-rail system, with piezo control and an injection pressure of up to 2000 bar, is already in series production.

To prepare for Euro 6-compatible combustion processes, and to further reduce fuel consumption and CO2 emissions, we are now developing injection systems that deliver more than 2000 bar. To reach this point, however, our engineers still must tackle a few tough technological challenges.

Downsizing is the key to efficient engines
One of the fundamental requirements for downsizing an engine is increasing the pressure at which the combustion air enters the engine – more oxygen is required to burn more fuel and thus boost engine power. Conversely, with greater charge pressure, the same engine power can be achieved with a smaller engine. This makes the turbocharger a further key component in downsizing. In our Bosch Mahle Turbosystems joint venture, we are developing a supercharging technology for both gasoline and diesel engines. Our engineers are designing a whole range of turbochargers for 40 to 200-kilowatt engines. We see particular market potential for turbochargers for diesel engines up to 100 kilowatts.

Summary and outlook – internal-combustion engines in 2015
To successively improve the efficiency of cars powered by internal-combustion engines in the coming years, Bosch is developing innovative new technologies for both the gasoline and diesel engine. In our test bays, our efforts to advance the internal combustion engine are resulting in new engine concepts that will be ready for market by 2015. Essentially, the differences between gasoline and diesel engines are minor if size and all the main parameters are considered. Both will be subject to extreme downsizing, resulting in a three-cylinder, 1.1 or 1.2-liter engine that still offers the same 100 kilowatt power and performance of the standard engine I mentioned at the beginning of my talk. What's more, it will be equipped with several additional technologies which serve to boost the overall efficiency of the drive train:
· a start-stop system that automatically starts and stops the engine when the car is not in motion, for instance at a red light or in a traffic jam
· a thermal management system that quickly gets the engine up to optimum operating temperature, and keeps it there
· a highly efficient generator with a control unit that uses additional braking energy to charge the battery
· many other support functions which, thanks to electrification, work more efficiently and can be better controlled

Thanks to Bosch technology, cars equipped with the internal- combustion engines of the future will run much more efficiently. By 2015, a gasoline-driven car will consume only 5.5 liters per 100 kilometers – 29 percent less than our standard engine in 2009. A diesel-powered car in 2015 will only burn 3.6 liters per 100 kilometers – a third less than our diesel in 2009.

With hybridization, we can reduce the consumption of gasoline engines by 39 percent, and of diesel engines by as much as 40 percent. In addition, automobile manufacturers are using other technologies to further decrease consumption and emissions. By designing more streamlined car bodies, they are reducing aerodynamic drag. They are also reducing vehicle weight and rolling resistance. All in all, an automobile which is fully optimized in these ways will consume 50 percent less fuel than today – fuel consumption under standard conditions of around 3.8 liters of gasoline per 100 kilometers, or 2.6 liters of diesel, can be achieved.

Of course, all this extra technology comes at a cost. But the money that drivers save on fuel means that it pays off in the long run. With our technology, they save money every time they fill the tank. And the cost of technology also pays off in other ways ? by improving quality of life and protecting the environment. This is reflected in the Bosch “Invented for life” slogan.

Aside from the technological measures to reduce CO2 emissions discussed so far, we are also taking every economically and ecologically feasible opportunity to power internal-combustion engines with alternative fuels. After all, fuel produced on the basis of renewable resources also helps protect the environment.

The internal combustion engine of the future –
advantages over hybrid and electric drives
As mobility continues to grow around the world, ever more people want to own a car. This is driving automobile manufacturers and their suppliers to improve the energy efficiency of their products. Hybrid drives and electric cars are playing an increasingly important role here. However, CO2 emissions and fuel consumption can be reduced much more quickly and cost-effectively by exploiting the development potential of gasoline and diesel engines. Bosch engineers are making every effort to adapt these technologies to the future engine concepts of automobile manufacturers and to unleash the full potential of the internal combustion engine.

Thank you for your interest.

RF00045 - June 2009