Direct injection engine: running between market and technology

2020-05-30 11:09:19

On the 22nd, Changan Ford held a seminar on EcoBoost new power technology before the Guangzhou Auto Show. This engine that combines direct injection, turbocharging and dual independent variable valve timing will be officially put into service in Changan next year. Ford models. This is another direct injection engine after Shanghai Volkswagen, FAW Volkswagen, FAW Audi, and Shanghai GM, which indicates that direct injection technology is gradually becoming the market direction.

Green requirements lead technological progress

Ford's EcoBoost new power technology engine is undoubtedly very advanced, but it is not the first to eat crabs. Previously, Shanghai Volkswagen Skoda, FAW Volkswagen, FAW Audi and Shanghai GM have launched similar technology engines in China. Two days before the auto show, Hyundai Group just released a new engine, and this engine with direct injection technology has news that it will appear on a domestic car.

â– Energy saving and environmental protection direct injection technology is very "green"

The number of direct injection engines has changed, and the reason is because of its environmental protection and energy saving features. The reporter obtained information from EcoBoost New Power from the Changan Ford factory that this engine can effectively improve fuel economy by 20%. More critically, the improvement in fuel economy has not brought about a decline in power. Previously, Magotan 2.0TSI officially marked the acceleration time from zero to 100 kilometers as 8.3 seconds, but some people took it to run out of 7.4 seconds. The newly-listed Regal 2.0 TurboDI â€‹â€‹engine has peak power and torque of 162 (kw / rpm) and 350 (Nm / rpm), respectively. In contrast, the peak power and torque of the same displacement self-aspirated engine are mostly 105. (kw / rpm) and 180 (Nm / rpm) hovering around.

If the direct injection engine is only more fuel efficient and more powerful, it is at best a more popular engine for consumers. It does not mean that it can become a "mainstream". The problem is that it is more environmentally friendly. This is obviously It is in the interest of more people. According to Ford's new engine data, it can reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 15%. The Cadillac SIDI series engine claims to reduce pollutant emissions by 25%.

â– Precise oil control to ensure energy saving and emission reduction

Why can the direct injection engine have such amazing energy saving and emission reduction effects? The reporter interviewed Dr. Kevin Zhang, Technical Management Director of Ford Motor Asia Pacific and Africa. According to him, the core technology of this type of engine is to precisely control the injection quantity and injection time. We all know that the traditional gasoline engine fuel supply method has always been the "out-of-cylinder mixing" method, that is, gasoline is first injected through the carburetor (has been eliminated) or the fuel injection nozzle, and the intake manifold Fresh air mixes to become "mixed gas". Its disadvantage is that the mixed gas entering the combustion chamber can only be passively controlled by opening and closing the valve, which is not particularly ideal for adapting to different engine operating conditions. Although a series of technologies such as supercharging technology, valve timing continuously variable technology, and variable valve lift technology appeared to make up for this shortcoming, but still did not fundamentally solve the "out-cylinder mixing" problem.

"In-cylinder direct injection technology for gasoline engines is somewhat similar to direct injection technology for diesel engines. It is a revolutionary change for traditional gasoline engines." Zhang Kaiwen told reporters. It uses a piston pump to provide the required pressure of more than 100bar and supplies gasoline to the fuel injector located in the cylinder. Then the fuel injection nozzle is controlled by computer to inject fuel directly into the combustion chamber at the most appropriate time, and the control accuracy is close to milliseconds. "It can optimally regulate the injection quantity and injection time up to 300 times per second according to the working conditions." Zhang Kaiwen said that this precise control allows the fuel to be fully burned, ensuring the engine's advantages in energy saving and emission reduction, while the valve The synergy of variable timing technology, turbocharging technology and in-cylinder direct injection reinforces this advantage, and the synergy also alleviates the turbo lag of turbocharging and the "short board" of engine knock.

Technology advances market slowdown

Ford's sustainable development plan shows that 90% of Ford's models will be equipped with this EcoBoost new power technology engine around 2013. According to the strategy announced by the Volkswagen Group, 20% of Volkswagen â€™s models sold in China this year will be equipped with TSI (Turbo Gasoline Engine) and DSG (Dual Clutch Automatic Transmission) technologies, compared with next year It will increase to 30%, and by 2012 it will rise to 50%. Shanghai GM also spared no effort to promote the new Regal 2.0 TurboDI â€‹â€‹engine.

It seems that with the full push of the factory, the future of the direct injection engine is limitless.

But the market is not as positive as the technology. Take the Octavia, which used the TSI engine earlier, there are five Octavia owners around the reporter, and only two chose the TSI engine. The reporter compared the number of registered cards in Xi'an in 2008 with the number of registered cards in the first half of this year and found that the Octavia TSI version reached a peak in January 2008. Of the 157 new cars listed that month, 54 were TSI engines, but There has been no significant growth since. Similarly, Magotan's road did not go smoothly. It was not until the debut of the TSI + DSG gold combination that Magotan's sales volume increased for the fourth consecutive month, and its growth rate was more than 10%, successfully breaking the monthly sales of 6,000 vehicles. Both of these "players" have spent two or three years adapting to the market.

What restricts the advancement of advanced engines such as TSI is the cost of use brought by advanced technology. First, because of the research and development costs, the price of models equipped with such engines is higher than that of other models. At present, the Chinese consumer market is still mainly buying family cars. Practical and worry-free are the biggest demands. They will account for their purchases. Will the energy-saving cost of this technology make up for the extra money I spent? How long will it take to make up? Secondly, the maintenance cost brought by advanced technology. After the listing, Magotan gained a lot of applause, but it did not translate into purchasing power. As many netizens said, "it can afford horses, it can't afford a saddle." The cycle gradually gained recognition in the market.