DETROIT, Mich. – Behr America is helping to develop a downsized V6, direct-injection gasoline engine that will improve fuel consumption and produce high torque in a low rpm range.
The engine will be able to run on both gasoline E0 as well as Ethanol E85, giving the project its name: EBDI—Ethanol Boosted Direct Injection and is designed with the power and torque to compete against the strongest V8 engines.
Working as part of a consortium headed by Ricardo, Inc., Behr America revealed its early research findings at this year’s SAE World Congress in Detroit, reporting on the project which uses an advanced EGR-cooling system and high performance water-cooled charge air cooler in a new system approach in order to achieve best-in-class intake manifold temperatures and low combustion temperatures.
“To date, the results have been impressive,” said Dr. Uwe Krueger, VP Product and Process Engineering North America.“With significantly improved knocking limits and the ability to tune earlier combustion, Behr’s thermal system expertise contributed to an almost five percent fuel consumption improvement over the course of the project.”
Buoyed by the high success of the first phase of the project, Behr has already started developing an improved integrated charge air cooler. By year-end, the consortium aims to have the engine tested in a vehicle to confirm its’ bench-tested results under live driving conditions.
Behr’s North American headquarters is in Troy, Michigan. Behr America has nearly 2,000 employees at facilities in Troy, Mich.; Dayton, Ohio; Charleston, S.C.; Fort Worth, Texas, and Ramos Arizpe, Mexico.
Behr GmbH & Co. KG, Stuttgart, Germany, is a systems partner for the international automobile industry. A specialist for automotive air-conditioning and engine-cooling systems, the Behr Group is one of the world’s leading manufacturers and suppliers of original equipment for passenger and commercial vehicles. Group sales in the 2008 business year came to approximately $4.1 billion. Currently, Behr employs approximately 17,000 staff at 17 development locations, 28 production locations and 12 joint ventures worldwide.
Additional information is available at www.behrgroup.com.
NOTE TO EDITORS: Photos are available upon request.
Media Contacts
Indira Sadikovic
Behr America, Inc.
Phone: 248.743.3771
E-mail: indira.sadikovic@us.behrgoup.com
Larry Weis or Craig Miner
AutoCom Associates
Phone: 248.647.8621
E-mail: lweis@usautocom.com or cminer@usautocom.com
