AD #2340 – Bosch Announces Diesel Breakthrough, BMW Reveals iX3 Concept, Lexus Unwraps New ES
April 25th, 2018 at 11:43am
Runtime: 8:22
0:29 Bosch Announced Diesel Breakthrough
3:14 BMW Reveals iX3 Concept
3:38 Lexus Unwraps New ES
4:16 Kia Unveils YI PAO And K5 Plug-In
5:03 You Said It!
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On today’s show…Bosch says it developed a breakthrough in reducing diesel emissions…BMW, Lexus and Kia reveal new vehicles in Beijing and I answer your questions and comments in You Said It! All that and more coming right up on Autoline Daily.
This is Autoline Daily the show for enthusiasts of the automotive industry.
BOSCH ANNOUNCED DIESEL BREAKTHROUGH
Bosch announced a major breakthrough today in reducing diesel emissions. Even more impressively, it uses existing components so the technology is available immediately for automakers and will not add cost. Today European emission regulations limit NOx emissions to only 168 milligrams per kilometer. In 2020 that drops to only 120 milligrams. But Bosch says its breakthrough can achieve only 40 milligrams in city driving and only 13 milligrams overall.
| EURO NOx EMISSIONS | |
|---|---|
| Today | 168 mg/km |
| 2020 | 120 mg/km |
| Bosch City | 40 mg/km |
| Bosch Combined | 13 mg/km |
| Source: Bosch | |
Here’s how it works. Bosch is using advanced fuel injection, a new air management system and an intelligent temperature management system. The air management system relies on a new way of handling EGR or exhaust gas recirculation, and on a turbo that is optimized to spool up faster at launch. Bosch says the key is keeping EGR temperatures above 200 degrees Celsius. Typically the EGR fails to reach those temperatures in city driving, especially in grid-lock or stop and go driving.
Bosch says diesel engines have not yet reached their full potential and that it’s working on applying artificial intelligence to make them cleaner and more efficient. Bosch’s CEO Volkmar Denner also calls for fuel economy and emissions testing to be done on the open road, what the company is calling real driving emissions. He also says that regulators should include all the emissions produced from making fuel and generating electricity so that consumers have a clearer idea of their true CO2 footprint. We here at Autoline completely support this, because consumers will then be aware that electric cars are not zero emission vehicles. In fact, we say it is unethical to call them zero emission vehicles. Moreover, we’d say that Denner is not going far enough. We need to include all the CO2 emissions that go into manufacturing cars and into recycling them. That will give consumers a true picture of their CO2 footprint when it comes to choosing the kind of car they want to drive.
Still to come…BMW, Lexus and Kia take the wraps off new vehicles at the Beijing auto show.
BMW iX3 Concept
OK, over to the Beijing auto show. This is BMW’s all-electric crossover called the Concept iX3. It features fifth-generation eDrive technology, and a range of 400 kilometers or about 250 miles. Interestingly, its electric motor doesn’t use rare-earth metals. The production version will be built in China.
LEXUS UNWRAPS NEW ES
Lexus took the wraps off the new ES. It’s built on a new global architecture and is longer, lower and wider than before. And for the first time an F SPORT model is being added to the ES line-up. Two powertrains are available. A 3.5L V6 that’s mated to an 8-speed automatic and a hybrid that’s powered by a 2.5L four-cylinder, which gets an estimated 44 MPG combined. It’s also available with new safety and infotainment features. The new ES doesn’t go on sale until September of 2019.
KIA YI PAO AND K5 PLUG-IN
Kia unveiled two new vehicles for the Chinese market. First up is the YI PAO, a small SUV that goes on sale in the second half of the year. The company didn’t share any other details about the vehicle. And it revealed a plug-in hybrid called the K5, with a 2.0L gasoline engine, a 50-kW electric motor and a lithium-ion battery pack. The K5 goes into production in China in the second quarter of this year.
Coming up next, it’s time for you Said It!.
Kevin Anderson wants to know, “Do GM, Ford, FCA have closed or grossly underutilized assembly plants? If so, would it make sense for them to do contract assembly for the Tesla Model 3?”
No they don’t and no they would not lift a finger to help Tesla.
Tom in Ocracoke has an idea for V2V technology. “I don’t get the DSRC vs LTE battle. Seems to me that the right answer is BOTH.”
Two systems means twice the cost. Better we pick one and the only one ready right now is DSRC.
Len Engler wants to know, “How does the Pacifica plug-in compare to the others in percentage of sales?”
Great question. The plug-in Pacifica represents 7% of sales. That compares to 14% for the Prius plug-in and 8% for the Volvo XC90 plug-in.
Oldsmo says, “How the heck can you discuss whether EVs can catch on or not without bringing up the price of gas? It’s all about that. It just doesn’t pay at $3/gal.”
Oldsmo, that’s a very American point of view. Gasoline costs $7 a gallon in Europe and EVs are a very small percentage of sales over there.
Keith Hamilton “Question – do car makers base their production numbers on a 5 or 7-day work week? Tesla uses a 7-day basis which does not seem healthy. What about a proper work/rest cycle and scheduled machine down time for maintenance?”
Automakers base their production capacity on two 8-hour shifts, five days a week. And you’re right, if Tesla does not schedule enough down time for maintenance it’s going to run into problems. And you can only run your plants 24/7 for so long until your workforce burns out.
Ego Equus says, “Sandy should create a reality show called “Factory Makeover” where he goes in like Gordon Ramsay (Kitchen Nightmares) and whips them into shape.”
Fantastic idea! It would be a hit. By the way that Autoline After Hours with Sandy last week is on track to have the highest viewership in the history of the show. Bloomberg News even did a piece on it and it was picked up by Jalopnik and InsideEVs.
And don’t forget to join us for After Hours tomorrow when we’ll have the CEO of Mahindra North America with the Roxor off road vehicle they’re manufacturing in Michigan. Henry Payne from the Detroit News will be with us, sharing his on-track experience with the new Corvette ZR-1. So join Gary Vasilash and me for some of the best inside info in the automotive industry.
And that wraps up today’s report, thanks for watching.
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Comments (26)
April 25th, 2018 at 12:04 pm
For all the diesel doomsday talk, it’s been obvious that Rudolf’s invention is far from obsolete. Beyond, simple technologies like this one there are also water injection technologies that could further reduce emissions and increase power. These still fall in the “mad hatter” area of ideas, but there could be real promise. The low-end torque available from diesel is just something that is too hard to give up. Ironically, it’s what people love about driving electric as well. Until all electricity is made from renewable, it will never match the efficiency AND emissions of diesel over the life of the car.
April 25th, 2018 at 12:14 pm
@2, exactly, and does not require large quantities of hard-to-mine rare earth metals, of which the mining is currently practically a Chinese monopoly.
April 25th, 2018 at 12:28 pm
I remember that Bosch was the designer of the software that VW used for emission cheating. Excuse me if I am not totally enthusiastic about their next idea. It will work well, on official testing, but what about real world situations.
Fool me once… etc.
April 25th, 2018 at 12:30 pm
Gas and diesel are not going away and will maintain their share of the market. Until range/recharge time issues are solved for most people they don’t make sense. The true cost for EV’s are too high and you must add in the cost for recharging whether or not its at you home. Never see real figures on those costs. The only concept I have seen for these issues of range /reharge time is the electrolyte refill/exchange technology. If it ever becomes realistic then EV’s make sense.
April 25th, 2018 at 12:33 pm
The Bosch technology is exactly why we need government regulations, with out the regulations much of this technology wouldn’t exist because there would be not need.
April 25th, 2018 at 12:45 pm
John, You have been a clear and lucid presenter of the various “emissions” issues, but today’s show clarifying gas vs diesel vs electric might be your best yet. It has always bothered me to see “ZERO EMISSIONS” tags on EVs, to the point of thinking maybe it’s even illegal or false advertising! How about “Remote Emissions” until we can get the overall rating system we need?
ALSO – you and your team killed it with Sandy Munro, congrats. I even went back and watched most of the show a second time, it was so enjoyable.
April 25th, 2018 at 1:01 pm
I watched the entire Sandy Munro After Hours show, and it was great. I can’t get over how enthused Munro was about the Tesla circuit board. I have a question, though. What is all of that stuff for? Is it the logic for “autopilot”? That looks like an awful lot of electronics, just to manage power and regenerative breaking for a pure electric car. It looks like a lot, even for a hybrid, which needs much more complex controls than a pure EV.
April 25th, 2018 at 1:07 pm
We need EV’s that get their power from overhead wires, rather than from expensive, heavy, limited-lifetime batteries. I remember buses in Indianapolis when I was a kid that worked that way. Of course, electric trains with overhead wires are still used, and the power infrastructure is much simpler for trains.
April 25th, 2018 at 1:09 pm
@ #3: I agree with what you say but wasn’t Bosch told by VW to do what they did? I seem to remember the blame ended up on the suits at vw,but maybe I’m wrong. As for their new system developments,I’m all in,IF it isn’t another dog and pony show by the Germans.
April 25th, 2018 at 1:12 pm
The phrase Zero Emissions Vehicle (ZEV) was created by California Air Resources Board (CARB). They use the phrase ZEV for electric and hydrogen vehicles. 95% of all the hydrogen made in the US is made from burning fossil fuels. So I agree with you that it is unethical to call them zero emission vehicles. Unfortunately this government agency is using tax payer money to deceive us and additional 13 states follow CARB – Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington, as well as the District of Columbia.
April 25th, 2018 at 1:28 pm
Hey John, are you sure the newly redesigned Lexus ES350 won’t be available until Sept 2019 as you stated in today’s broadcast? I understood they would be available this Fall.
April 25th, 2018 at 1:46 pm
10 California’s push for EV’s is mainly about the desire to clean up the air in big metro areas, which EV’s do, but by exporting the emissions.
I fully agree with John, though, that it would be nice to know the entire greenhouse gas footprint of vehicles, including fuel use, manufacturing, recycling, etc. Heck, I might drive a Cruze or Civic hatch, rather than a Prius, if the Civic and Cruze were more environmentally friendly, overall.
Of course, getting more information is not going to happen in today’s USA, when regulations are being eliminated, rather than added. At least the feds aren’t going to bring us such information in the next ~3 years. Maybe California, or the EU will compile information about the real environment impact of making batteries and motors, producing electricity, transmitting electricity, etc.
April 25th, 2018 at 1:47 pm
The nose of the new ES looks better than most applications of the Lexus spindle, at least to me.
April 25th, 2018 at 2:08 pm
Seems like Cadillac is catching up: I see that Spring Hill (that builds XT5 and Acadia) is adding a third shift beginning in September. With the XT4 on the way, and a recently seen XT6 (spyshot) wringing in another SUV, Cadillac’s portfolio should be pretty well represented. Johan’s demise might make his legacy look a lot better than his abrupt leaving did. Personally I think he was on the right track (but short-sighted GM execs throw the baby out with the bath water again).
April 25th, 2018 at 2:09 pm
Perhaps the Bosch injectors can go into diesel ships & locomotives which emit far more emissions than automobiles
April 25th, 2018 at 2:37 pm
#3 and #9. If you go to the transcript of today’s show and click on the headline to the Bosch story, it will take you to their press release, which addresses real world driving emissions. Also, Bosch issued a new code of ethics that prohibits employees from developing software that can detect when it’s being tested. Your concerns are legitimate, but it sure looks like Bosch is making up for past sins.
April 25th, 2018 at 2:49 pm
I don’t know about locomotives but diesel ships don’t use the diesel fuel that cars/trucks use. These big diesels use bunker fuel, which is just about one step away from tar (nasty stuff). Well maybe not all, but some do.
April 25th, 2018 at 3:03 pm
Uh BMW? Hi, yeah, you might want to send someone out to take a look at the front of ANY KIA before you commit to that new grille design. Sorry, I don’t like it at all, The kidneys are sacred, just like the hoffmeister kink, hopefully you’re not planning to do away with that too….
April 25th, 2018 at 3:05 pm
Maybe Johan’s replacement will bring back some names for the cars, like Sedan de Ville for the CT6, Seville for the CTS, and Cimarron for the ATS. Just kidding about Cimarron, but why not to other two? As far as the crossovers, maybe the XT thing needs to stay. There are few well known Cadillac legacy names, and they were used on cars, not tall wagons. Eldorado might be a good name for a mid-size or large coupe, if they made one. Maybe Fleetwood would sort of work, for a large CUV.
April 25th, 2018 at 3:10 pm
@16: exactly. Large vessels use Bunker C oil. it is virtually solid at room temperature and has to be pre-heated to 220-260 F before fuel injection into the cylinders.
April 25th, 2018 at 3:12 pm
@16,19: the only fraction heavier than Bunker C Fuel Oil ends up on your driveway or on roads.
April 25th, 2018 at 3:16 pm
I think Bosch had the last big break thru— in DEISELS and heading for the Big House with the VW CRIMINALS !!!
April 25th, 2018 at 3:19 pm
#8 – Detroit (actually South East Michigan) used to have a fairly expansive trolley fleet – While it was gone when I came here in 1966, I’ve been told it used to run to Ann Arbor & even Flint. Guess who managed to submarine electric trolleys since they sold & profited on buses at the time? – GM of course. Fairly expensive to build such infrastructure again.
EV’s – Totally agree that Zero emission classification for these is terrible & of course a lie. Maybe if I had my own windmill or solar panels – Obviously would need to factor fixed costs into the equation.
April 25th, 2018 at 9:06 pm
Again, & again, I believe this is the perfect compromise https://www.cnet.com/roadshow/news/nissan-e-power-combines-gas-and-electric-but-not-like-a-typical-hybrid/
April 26th, 2018 at 7:33 am
John,
Lets us also include the Co2 created in the mining, refining and transport of the fuel for a car. This metric is a real number few seem to account for in the carbon footprint of a car.
Also why does no one mention the carcinogens that are the particulates in the exhaust of gas and diesel cars? Benzene is known to cause leukemia. Co2 is not the only problem caused by combustion cars.
April 26th, 2018 at 10:56 am
The only green I care about is what I use to drive my car. To believe rattling a “CO{2}” voodoo doll will drive off EV buyers is wishful thinking.
California is trying to avoid air fouled by carcinogen coated particulates, lung eating NOx, and fuel vapor hydrocarbons. They also realize the best fuel is the one not burned in their air. Now if they can just get a handle on wild fires.