Internal Combustion Engines – What Does the Future Hold in a Post Dieselgate World? (Poster Presentations)

Authors

M. Garrett, Prof. N. Jackson, Ricardo plc, Shoreham-by-Sea; S. Kollamthodi, Ricardo Energy & Environment, Harwell

Year

2017

Print Info

Fortschritt-Berichte VDI, Series 12, No 802

Summary

With the automotive industry continuing to be in the media and public spotlight due to concerns about the contribution of vehicles to poor urban air quality, can gasoline and diesel engines survive in the future? Poor air quality is a major human health hazard and the contribution of road transport to air pollution problems is very significant. Emissions testing carried out by Ricardo using advanced remote sensing techniques to measure oxides of nitrogen (NO_x) and nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) from diesel cars operating in real-life conditions shows that different brands and models can have very different impacts in terms of contributions to urban pollution. However, these concerns about poor air quality mean that some local authorities are placing restrictions on the use of conventional vehicles in city centres around Europe, and some national governments have made proposals to ban the sales of new petrol and diesel cars within the next 10 to 15 years. At the same time, passenger car manufacturers in Europe have become increasingly reliant on diesel technology in order to meet current EU regulatory targets on CO₂. With future post-2020 car and van CO₂ targets now under development, what do OEMs need to do in order to meet these challenges in a less diesel-friendly world, and how should they engage with regulators, city authorities and other interested parties? Additionally, beyond the current problems with NO_x and NO₂, what are the likely future vehicle-related air pollution problems that the industry needs to start planning for now and what needs to be done to improve the understanding of environmental concerns? This paper describes an integrated approach between environmental and automotive ICE engineers to create a unique insight into the challenges and potential solutions to address the societal challenges for low carbon transport and clean air.