Abstract
Keywords - Alternative Fuels, CNG, Natural Gas, Engine Management, Gas Injector
Abstract - Today, the combustion engine running on fossil fuels (gasoline and diesel) is the dominant form of motor vehicle propulsion. Recently, however, due to the requirement to decrease the CO2-emissions of European vehicles, automobile manufacturers have begun searching for alternative vehicle fuels. CO2-emissions are a major contributor to the greenhouse effect which causes a rise in atmospheric temperatures and has resulted in the Kyoto Agreement and the ACEA Self Commitment as CO2 reducing measures.
Additionally, manufacturers are seeking long-term substitutes for crude oil in its role as the basis for all automotive fuels. Possible alternative fuels are natural gas, hydrogen, synfuel, biodiesel, methanol and ethanol. Except for natural gas, none of the listed fuels is a primary energy source; all have to be derived from other sources. It is expected that natural gas, or at least one alternative fuel, will be widely available at filling stations in the next ten to fifteen years.
Various market indicators, including favorable technical as well as economic and ecological properties, indicate that the natural gas alternative will gain a growing share of the automotive fleet within the next decades. Bosch wishes to encourage this market trend by adapting engine management systems for natural gas vehicles, including the development of a new gas injector.