Flex-fuel technology supports fuels containing ethanol

Bosch has started series production of a number of engine management systems and injection components for alternative fuels. Natural gas, ethanol and synthetic plant-based biodiesel are becoming increasingly important as alternatives to petroleum-based fuels and the components being developed are the key to mobility that conserves resources and is environmentally friendly.

Compressed natural gas (CNG) engines produce 25 per cent less CO2 than comparable gasoline engines and Bosch expects to supply more than 100,000 CNG systems worldwide by 2008. However, while natural gas powered vehicles are becoming more popular across Europe the network of filling stations across the continent is not yet dense enough to support fuelled vehicles using CNG alone. The Bosch NG-Motronic flexible engine management system and natural gas injection valves enable the engine to run on either petrol or CNG, automatically switching between fuels when necessary.

Through running internal combustion engines in a way that conserves resources, biofuels can reduce CO2 emissions even further. A reduction of up to 70 per cent in CO2 emissions has already been achieved using the first-generation biofuels – produced using only the oil-bearing seeds of plants. This impressive figure is predicted to increase to nearer 90 per cent using second-generation biofuels and biogas, which could eventually replace natural gas. In contrast to first-generation, second-generation biofuels are produced by processing the entire plant to make ethanol, synthetic biodiesel or biogas.

In addition to reducing CO2 emissions in new vehicles fitted with appropriately modified technology, the newly developed biofuels can also be used in existing vehicles, with biodiesel being increasingly added to conventional diesel across Europe. Bosch is also working on developing injection systems for use with future biofuels allowing an automotive drivetrain that uses renewable energies as well as the existing infrastructure and technology.

Flex-fuel technology for Brazil
Vehicles in Brazil are already running on biofuels - bioethanol - in the form of E24 (petrol with an ethanol content of 24 per cent) and E100 (pure ethanol). The Flex-Fuel engine management system from Bosch has been developed specifically for this market, to automatically adapt ignition and injection patterns precisely to the fuel mixture being used at any given time.

As low temperatures can degrade the chemical properties of ethanol, Bosch has also developed the Flex-Start system ensuring cold starts and drivability are not impaired. The fuel is warmed in a temperature controlled fuel rail, allowing the Flex-Fuel technology to function effectively in all climatic conditions.

Bosch-developed engine management systems highlight the company’s know-how in the development of cutting-edge, environmentally friendly drivetrain technologies. As alternatives to petrol and diesel, they conserve raw material resources and protect the environment.