Greener engines
As a response to climate change, the European Commission has proposed legislation limiting carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from new passenger cars. Achieving the target will require new engine concepts. The EU-funded POWERFUL (Powertrain for future light-duty vehicles) project aimed to develop several low-emission powertrain concepts to be introduced before 2020. Targets included engines exceeding EU6 pollution standards. The spark-ignited (SI) designs were expected to produce 40 % less CO2 than 2005 levels, while the figure for CI engines was 20 % less. Consortium members planned to achieve their targets via development of three engine types, the first being a low-cost, low-emissions SI model (SPV1). Secondly, one of two CI types would be able to run on tailored fuels and utilise low-temperature combustion (SPV2). The second CI type was intended as a two-stroke diesel model incorporating low thermal homogenous combustion (SPV3). Finally, the group planned additional new tools to support the design programme. The 18-member consortium ran between January 2010 and June 2014. A long development and testing phase confirmed the effectiveness of the powertrain proposals. The project advanced four demonstration vehicles, three of which were delivered for New European Driving Cycle (NEDC) measurements. The SPV2 model fully achieved its targets, while SPV1 achieved a 30 % CO2 reduction instead of the planned 40 %. The new concepts developed during the POWERFUL project generally achieved the set aims and otherwise showed promise. Such results have been transferred to the proposed REWARD project for Horizon 2020, the EU's eighth research Framework Programme.
Keywords
Carbon dioxide, emissions, passenger cars, powertrain, light-duty vehicles