New Bosch tech to drastically reduce diesel emissions

THE RECENT diesel scandal has scientists and engineers scrambling to deal with diesel exhaust emissions and their effect on air quality. A new technology from Bosch claims it could cut nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions by 90 per cent.

This new turbocharger and airflow-management technology appears to be close to coming to fruition.

Current European standards state cars shouldn’t emit more than 168 mg/km of NOx and by 2020, that will be further reduced to just 120 mg/km in real-world driving tests, and 80 mg/km under laboratory test conditions.

However, Bosch’s new tech goes far beyond that. For example, a diesel-powered VW Golf would emit just 13 mg/km of NOx in mixed driving conditions, as measured using the latest RDE paradigms.

Even when driving in urban environments, where NOx emissions are often higher due to lower engine temperatures, the Bosch system in the diesel Golf emits just 26 mg/km.

But this isn’t as simple as converting a production vehicle from a conventional engine to a 48-volt mild hybrid, as the system requires significant changes to the engine.

In fact, in the case of the Golf the changes were so significant the company refers to the vehicle as a “platform demonstrator.”

Dr Volkmar Denner, the chief executive of Bosch, said of the breakthrough at the company’s annual press conference: “There’s a future for diesel. Today, we want to put a stop, once and for all, to the debate about the demise of diesel technology.” He then went on to add that the company was “pushing the boundaries of what is technically feasible.”