Tag Archives: Diesel engines

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BMW diesels will use Neste HVO 100 fuel

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BMW has announced that from the beginning of 2025, its diesel engines will use HVO 100 hydrotreated vegetable oil. The fuel will be produced by the Finnish company Neste and will be used at BMW’s plants in Munich, Dingolfing, Regensburg and Leipzig.

Neste HVO 100 fuel is made from several different types of waste, including cooking oil, residues and other renewable raw materials. It is more environmentally friendly, has better cold start performance than typical diesel, and produces 90 percent fewer greenhouse gas emissions over its life cycle compared to conventional fossil diesel.

“When it comes to climate protection, every ton of ‘saved’ CO2 counts. The more than 250 million existing vehicles in Europe are an important factor here. Their CO2 balance could be significantly improved if the regenerative share of the fuel were increased. We are moving forward. From January 2025, we will fill all diesel models produced in Germany with HVO 100 oil before we deliver them to dealers. It is a high-quality diesel substitute with up to 90 percent lower CO2 emissions in the overall balance,” said BMW President Oliver Zipse.

It should be noted that the cars do not get a full tank before leaving the plant, but only five to eight liters.

Source: BMW

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Stellantis suspends orders for diesel commercial vehicles

Stellantis will no longer accept orders for light commercial vehicles powered by diesel engines! This is official information from the company, and the reason is the new CO2 emission regulations that will come into force in 2025.

Although diesel engines are the most acceptable in the truck segment, manufacturers decide to remove them from the offer. Dacia gave up diesel engines forever with the second generation Duster, while Toyota took this step much earlier and replaced its diesels with hybrid engines, which are equally economical and with similar performance. However, the Volkswagen Group is still resisting pressure, and continues to sell cars powered by TDI engines, even as it prepares to phase them out in the coming years.

Vehicles such as the Peugeot Rifter, Citroen Berlingo and Opel Combo will be available only with petrol or electric engines. It should also be noted that this decision should also include cargo versions, although this remains questionable.

Source: Stellantis

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This diesel engine has a thermal efficiency of more than 53 percent

In 1897, the first diesel engine was built with an effective efficiency of 26.2%. Since then, scientists have been trying to increase its efficiency, which until recently was between 30 and 50%. However, the Chinese company Weichai Power presented at the World Congress on Internal Combustion Engines the first ever diesel engine with an intrinsic thermal efficiency of more than 53 percent.

Engine thermal efficiency is the percentage of diesel combustion energy transferred into usable engine work without the need for a waste heat recovery mechanism. In 2020, the Chinese company presented its diesel engine with a thermal efficiency of 50.23 percent, and two years later the efficiency increased to 52.28 percent.

In 500 days of work, the research team achieved the optimization of four vital systems: fuel supply, air intake, combustion and friction reduction. This resulted in a higher thermal efficiency of the engine, but also a higher economy of the engine, which in this case is nearly 14%. The team has effectively advanced high expansion combustion, pressurized mixed flow, highly efficient fuel injection and low drag friction reduction technology.

How significant this achievement is is shown by the fact that it would lead to annual fuel savings of around 30 million tons and a reduction in carbon emissions by almost 100 million tons. If we consider individual vehicles, a heavy tractor with an annual mileage of 250,000 km can save about 12,000 gallons/45,425 liters of fuel thanks to this technology. That would mean an additional nearly $13,500 for the owner, based on current fuel prices.

It should be noted that during the research and development phase, the team received 176 patents for inventions and 68 patents for utility models.

Source: Reuters