autoregion international - Edition 1/2020

44 Emission-free driving Alternatives in conventional drive technology By Stefan Beinkämpen, member of the management board, Baumot Group AG 24millioncars areproducedannually inEurope, and theproductionsharesof hybridand fully electric vehicles are steadily increasing. Figures from the Federal Motor Transport Authority (Kraftfahrtbundesamt 01/2019) show 83,175 fully electric, 341,411 hybrid and 46,671,198 conventionally powered cars in the vehicle population of theFederal Republicof Germany.With an averageusage timeof 9.5 years, theproportionof conventionally powered vehicles will continue to make up the majority of vehicles in the vehicle population of the Federal Republic of Germany in the coming years. Since 1990, with the introduction of the first EURO emissions standard for cars, the automotive industry has been encouraged to develop combustion engines with in- creasingly efficient combustion processes. An engine development towards turbo charged units in connection with light- weight concepts for body development led to efficient vehicles that met the require- ments of the EURO5 standards without special exhaust aftertreatment. With the introduction of the EURO 6 targets and the conversion of the NEDC test cycle to the WLTP test cycle, the requirements were tightened to such an extent that tech- nical measures in exhaust gas aftertreat- ment became necessary to achieve the targets. Nitrogen oxide emissions in diesel vehicles in particular are significantly re- duced by SCR technology (Selective Cata- lytic Reduction) of the chemical reaction of ammonia, obtained from urea, with nitro- gen oxides. Synthetic fuels could have a positive effect on emission reductions. Synthetic fuels are initially characterized by the substitu- tion of crude oil with gas, coal or biomass. A special type of fuel among synthetic fuels is the eFuel, which uses a power-to-liquid synthesis process to replace crude oil with regenerative energy and CO 2 from the at- mosphere. In this case, the eFuel burns in the internal combustion engine mathe- matically climate-neutral. Researchers at the Technical University of Munich are con- vinced that high-performance exhaust gas aftertreatment can even reduce emissions to zero. (Springer Professional, Synthe- tischer Kraftstoff kann Emissionen deut- lich senken, Patrick Schäfer, 06.09.2018) Development cycles are getting shorter and faster, and deeper insights are in- creasing faster. When using computers or mobile phones, upgrading to the latest technical standard has become a very common habit, often without an alterna- tive, in order to effectively extend the ser- vice life. Upgrading a car to the latest state of the art and thus further use even under new, narrow legal limits, is still an unfamil- iar process for vehicle owners. Rethinking will have to take place, as sustainability and service life are becoming increasingly important factors for vehicle owners. The possibility of having a modern exhaust system installed in your car so that you are below the strict limit values for nitrogen oxide emissions and to be exempt from traffic bans only shows the beginning of a meaningful rethinking. The development, production and assem- bly of vehicle upgradeswill be the challenge of the coming years. In exhaust gas after- treatment, specialized companies develop solutions for retrofitting existing vehicles independently with very low involvement of the vehicle manufacturer. If the number of retrofits in the lifecycle of a vehicle in- creases, more effective solutions can be developed in closer cooperation between retrofit companies and vehicle manufac- turers. With this approach, new business models for retrofit companies, workshop operations and vehicle manufacturers are also conceivable if existing conflicts of in- terest are overcome. Emission-free driving is technically possible today, with existing technologies for the entire vehicle fleet. In addition to the commitment for a joint im- plementation, the availability of eFuels in the gas stations and sufficient resources for the power-to-liquid synthesis process are also required. Image/Graphic: © Baumot Group AG Emissionsfreies Fahren Alternativen in der konventionellen Antriebstechnik Weiterlesen … https://t1p.de/qjo7 Summary BAUMOT GROUP AG www.baumot.de Stefan Beinkämpen S H A R E