Mild-hybrids and new tech to ensure longevity of diesel.
With petrol engines enjoying a renaissance of sorts thanks to various forced-induction and hybrid technologies increasing their outright efficiency, as well as the insurgence of full-electric vehicles and continually-evolving EV technology, it’s generally assumed that diesel has had its day and will soon go the way of the dodo. Couple that with the ongoing ramifications of the Volkswagen Dieselgate scandal, and it seems like it’s a matter of time until the final nail in the diesel coffin gets hammered in.
However, German manufacturer Mercedes-Benz thinks that there’s still life in diesel engines. Armin Herold, a powertrain development boss at Mercedes-Benz, says that there’s a bright future for oilers.
“The diesel engine definitely has a future, and we have a new engine with the best technology for a clean exhaust. We believe this can have a strong future to meet regulations around the world for the future. It’s a big investment for us.” – Armin Herold, Mercedes-Benz
Mercedes-Benz continues to develop internal combustion engine technology, with its latest crop of motors offering better efficiency, reduced emissions, and improved performance. The latest 350d and 400d variants of the facelifted S-Class produces 7% less exhaust emissions than the V6 oilers they replace, while still providing a 10% increase in performance. All of this, while still returning fuel economy figures below 6.0L/100km.
The engineering boss had something to say about the internal combustion engine in general, and its future in a world that is steadily moving to get rid of them entirely:
“I think the combustion engine is not dying. Nobody knows the full transition to electric engines just yet. This is also the question of the investment to have sustainable energy that marks it truly zero emissions.” – Armin Herold, Mercedes-Benz
While the new petrol engines for the S-Class range have adopted a 48V ‘mild-hybrid’ system (that has delivered impressive efficiency gains on the inline-6 range of petrol engines), its application to diesel engines would bring about some benefits, though not quite as effectively as it had on the petrol motors. The 48V system in the petrol cars results in a more efficient startup, and does away with belts entirely for the powerplant. As such, the A/C compressor and water pump are run directly from the 48V electrical system, with the alternator mounted off the crankshaft, with no ancillaries requiring belt drive from the engine.
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