The question of electrification
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are now desperately trying to race to recover lost industrial opportunities. As of today, Europe still enjoys technological leadership in several fields, including the automotive industry, although questionably in all technological segments. However, the traditional ICE car is today looked down upon in most of Europe, with severe decarbonisation goals of doubtful feasibility becoming EU policy and including hefty fines for non-conforming car manufacturers. In the middle of this regulatory whirlwind, we find some astonishing trends, such as the demonisation of diesel engines, despite the fact that, while diesel fuel contains slightly more carbon than petrol, diesel cars are known to emit roughly 20% less CO2 into the atmosphere than an equivalent performing petrol engine. The fact that the problem of nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions, once one of the most pressing issues facing the diesel car industry, was solved some ten years ago with the introduction of European emissions standards, and the resulting rapid innovation in emissions-limiting technologies, seem to be totally ignored, may make a lay citizen wonder: where is the logic in fighting CO2 emissions by eliminating ICEs altogether, which is a formidable and costly task, when Europe holds the world’s best technology for diesel engines, which could reduce emissions by 20% overnight? Somewhat ironically, both public attitudes toward diesel cars and Europe’s leading diesel engine technology may be due in no small part to the memory of ‘Dieselgate’, the Volkswagen emissions scandal which, beginning in 2015, saw the automotive giant heavily penalised with a notice of violation of the Clean Air Act from the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for intentionally programming its turbocharged direct injection (TDI) diesel engines to fool official NOx emissions testing. This was arguably the biggest scandal ever faced by the automotive industry, and resulting PR efforts from regulators, VW and competing
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automakers would lead to much stricter regulations on emissions control, renewed commitments to regulatory compliance and emissions reductions, and the development of some of the best, lowest-emission diesel engines in the world.
Regulations, misleading messaging and infrastructural challenges European regulations call for drastic reductions in CO2 emissions in a very short time. However, messaging around the reduction of CO2 emissions can be misleading. As an example, in Spain, which is the country I know best because I
live there (and I am guessing that local regulations must conform to the EU directives), a plug-in hybrid car with a battery range of 50 km qualifies as a ‘zero-emission’ car, in spite of the fact that it may run on a 200 horsepower petrol engine, and can legally be user programmed to recharge the battery using this high CO2 emitting petrol engine! A car like that – assuming it achieves its ideal CO2 emissions level, and under the condition that the electric grid is not powered by CO2 emitting plants, a far from realistic situation – is likely to have sufficient electric range to commute daily from home to work within an average-sized city, and the power required to recharge it overnight, may be low enough for existing
Fig. 3 Powder Metallurgy VVT parts such as these contribute to enhanced fuel economy in ICE powered vehicles (Courtesy AMES)
Autumn/Fall 2021
Powder Metallurgy Review
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