[Graeme]

EPA official: the future of the internal combustion engine is bright and clear

“The future of the IC engine is bright and clear; I don’t think that could be any more obvious to all of us,” said Byron Bunker, Director, Heavy Duty Engine Center, Office of Transportation and Air Quality, US Environmental Protection Agency during his remarks in a panel discussion on the role for internal combustion engines in the energy future at the US Department of Energy’s 2011 Directions in Engine-Efficiency and Emissions Research Conference (DEER) in Detroit.

Even while projecting to the future and talking about batteries and electric vehicles, he said, “when you look at our actual analysis and you look to our projections for the future, 95% or more of the vehicles, all of the heavy-duty vehicles in our analysis are relying on IC engines. The future that we point to [is] very conventional-looking engines.”

Bunker spent the bulk of his presentation describing the new medium- and heavy-duty fuel economy and greenhouse gas regulations from EPA and the Department of Transportation. (Earlier post.) However, in closing, he shared some thoughts on attributes of future engines:
•
Engine should become more robust to fuel variation;

•
Engine should trade elastic power delivery for higher peak efficiency;

•
New engines need to be able to be produced in high volume to control costs but tailored to individual duty cycle to optimize performance—especially in the heavy-duty vehicle sector; and

•
Sophisticated adaptive control schemes and new sensor technologies will be critical.

greencarcongress

[Alan Cain]

Cool! We need do nothing personally to keep driving forever! The EPA in eager symbiosis with the major vehicle and engine manufacturers have seen the future and it is still replete with highways, concrete, asphalt and lots and lots of single occupant vehicles; technical improvements passively applied will SAVE us!

On a more real level, at least they recognize some need to change efficiencies, as in improve those efficiencies. It feels too little too late, but that is another story. The theme, though, is world without significant limits. Obama's press conference today surprised me as he actually mentioned peak oil, though not by name. It suggests that the "meme" is changing to include some limits to growth.

[Keith_McClary]

Bright and clear.

[Graeme]

Here is a related survet of EV's.

Deloitte Survey finds only 4% of global consumers likely to be satisfied with current EVs despite increasing consideration and willingness to buy; higher ICE fuel economy reduces interest in EVs

Consumers’ expectations around the performance and purchase price of electric vehicles are so divergent from the actual offerings available today, that no more than 2–4% of consumers worldwide would have their expectations met, according to a new survey from Deloitte.

The survey, “Unplugged: Electric vehicle realities versus consumer expectations,” canvassed more than 13,000 consumers in 17 countries across the Americas, Asia and Europe and revealed a general desire among consumers to buy electric vehicles, but a strong unwillingness to compromise on key performance criteria and especially price.

In the United States, 12% of respondents indicate they would be a potential “first mover” when it comes to adopting an electric vehicle—with an additional 42% saying they “might be willing to consider” purchasing or leasing an electric vehicle. However, most global consumers, including those in the United States, would base their final decision on the greatest challenges associated with electric vehicles in the market today.: range, convenience to charge and purchase price of the vehicle. More than 85% of survey respondents ranked these considerations as “extremely important” or “very important” for buying or leasing an electric vehicle.

greencarcongress