FARMINGTON HILLS, Mich. – Bosch announced it has been selected by the U.S. Department of Energy to lead a project that will be partially funded by a $12 million grant. The grant will support the ACCESS project (Advanced Combustion Controls – Enabling Systems and Solutions for High Efficiency Light-Duty Vehicles), through which Bosch and its partners are developing a high compression, turbo-charged engine that will achieve up to 30 percent efficiency improvement in gasoline light-duty vehicles while meeting future emission standards, without compromising performance.
“Bosch is a company of innovators, with 30,000 engineers worldwide and a strong commitment to research and development,” explained Peter Marks, chairman, president and CEO, Robert Bosch LLC. “We are very pleased that the DOE selected Bosch to lead this project. We have a strong talent base at our North American headquarters here in Oakland County, Michigan. Due to the confidence that the DOE has placed in our team, the work for this project will be done in our Farmington Hills location. I expect the team – along with our partners – will deliver excellent results.”
The ACCESS project will address the technical barriers in fundamental research, technology application, and system implementation to accelerate the development ofthe next-generation powertrain system for light-duty vehicles. One of the advanced combustion concepts proposed in this research is homogeneous charge compression ignition (HCCI) combustion, which helps improve fuel economy, while maintaining low-level nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions and particulate matters. This process makesit possible to meet future NOx limits in an engine’s partial-load range without exhaust aftertreatment systems.
U.S. Rep. Gary Peters, D-Mich., who recently authored legislation approved by the U.S. House of Representatives to spur advanced vehicle technology innovation in the U.S., noted, “Bosch is a demonstrated global innovation leader, investing more than 45 percent of its R&D budget for eco-friendly technologies. I’m happy they chose Oakland County as the location to lead this worthwhile project, which will benefit our economy, and that our combined efforts were successful in securing this job-creating grant.”
Sujit Jain, regional president, Gasoline Systems, Robert Bosch LLC, notes that focusing on making improvements in the internal combustion engine is a sound strategy as, while electrification of the vehicle will occur, it will take many years to make it economically feasible.
“The internal-combustion engine will be the dominant powertrain for many years to come,” Jain said, “and Bosch is committed to making even further improvements. The key will be to rely on our long history with diesel and gasoline engines – as well as the expertise of our partners in this endeavor – to develop new combustion processes and highly precise injection technology. As a direct result of this award, the global center of competence and future development responsibility for HCCI advanced combustion for Bosch will transfer from Europe to Farmington Hills, Michigan.”
According to Hakan Yilmaz, director of system and advanced engineering, Gasoline Systems, Robert Bosch LLC and ACCESS principle investigator: “Multi-mode engine operations using lean HCCI strategies, combined with direct injection and boosting, offers a winning opportunity for gasoline engines to meet efficiency requirements and emission regulations while keeping the gasoline vehicle’s advantage in cost- effectiveness.”
The $12 million grant, which Bosch and its partners, including AVL, Emitec, the University of Michigan and Stanford University are matching, is part of a DOE program devoted to boosting the fuel economy of engines by 25 to 40 percent by 2015. As a result of the grant, Bosch and its partners expects to add or retain nearly 30 high tech jobs in Michigan and California, with the potential to add jobs to Bosch’s South Carolina manufacturing facility once the technology is proven production ready.
Grants, totaling $56.6 million, were recently awarded to Michigan automakers and suppliers to demonstrate new fuel efficient technologies. It is one example of the Obama administration‘s use of stimulus money for energy-saving technology and job creation, with more than half of the total grant money coming from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.
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Robert Bosch LLC
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