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PARIS MOTOR SHOW: Benz joins rush to 48 volts
'Beltless' engine is the ultimate aim for new inline familyMercedes-Benz has confirmed its new modular inline engine which is expected to debut in 2016 with the next generation E-Class will follow the trend to 48-volt electrics as part of a drive toward improved fuel efficiency that could eventually see it become beltless.
The Mercedes-Benz research and development chief Thomas Weber confirmed overnight at the Paris show the 48-volt strategy and its implications for the new engine family, which motoring.com.au has previously reported and will feature the return of the inline six-cylinder, as well as triples and four-cylinders, the latter being the only version Weber wanted to discuss.
"The base idea is let's use the combustion engine as the core energy source and all peaks let's do electrically," Weber told motoring.com.au. "Let's do every additional steering, cooling, let's do electrical. Then you only need energy when there is demand, then that helps us to balance out the overall efficiencies."
Mercedes-Benz is following Audi down the 48 volt path, while BMW has run 48 volt electrics in the 7 series for years.
The practice is likely to become increasingly common as car manufacturers seek ways to improve engine efficiency by removing power-sucking loads such as water and fuel pumps, power steering and air-conditioning. Hence the term 'beltless'.
But Weber stressed the gradual roll-out of 48-volts and the other high-end systems the modular engine family will adopt.
"Yes it will be in series production; yes we will launch it in a higher volume car. But across [the range]? No. So far I don't see 48 volt across all of our vehicles. Will it be a leading technology? Yes I would think so. We are linked to this technology but in roll-out scenario that will take many years."
The move to 48 volts will also aid driveability by allowing increasingly sophisticated adaptive suspension, brake and steer by wire, smoother stop-start systems and electric compressors that effectively kill lag.
But the big gain as far as Weber is confirmed is in engine fuel efficiency, a pursuit driven by increasingly stringent government legislation that expects car makers to average 68-78g CO2/km by the mid-2020s.
"Our future engine family line-up, which is clearly in development, will be necessary to fulfil these tough regulations and the most important issue is to have an inline four-cylinder arrangement available for all vehicles up to S-class," he said.
Weber also confirmed the arrival of DiesOtto technology, which combines diesel fuel efficiency while running on petrol, at some stage in the future.
"The only question is when we chose to implement this last step in our series production engine because it is a major step," he said. "The crankcase is different, so we have to change a lot. So it is not a facelift of an engine it has to be a new engine."
Benz isn't expecting the internal combustion engine to make efficiency gains alone as hybridisation will also play a key role in knocking down consumption, as should improved battery storage technology.
All that means a future E-class hybrid running the new inline engine will have three electrical systems; traditional 12 volt for low consumption items such as lights, heavier duty 48 volts and 400 volts for the hybrid system.
Weber said Benz was continuing to invest billions in orthodox drivetrain technologies including ICE and nine-speed automatics, because – despite the bill – they were still more cost effective than newer technologies, especially with the latest research pointing to oil reserves lasting for decades yet.
"If you compare the technology and how we have to pay for them, everything we do in the conventional side is always cheaper than hybridisation or electrification," he explained.
"So it's a clear strategy. We have to do everything possible to help us go as late as possible into this complex and expensive technologies."
He predicted the adoption of smaller, efficient engines from the new engine family combined with hybridisation would deliver outstanding power and efficiency that would force car buyers to change their perceptions of what engine size meant.
"What we are talking about is an engine with inline four-cylinder displacement and power output comparable to a six-cylinder. This is a really highly efficient, powerful engine and talking about this situation, it's one of the issues that such a high-end engine really supports our way to drive fuel efficiency down.
"We have to convince our customer that high tech in the future is not only linked to displacement and number of cylinders. It is clear in the future the real high tech engine is the smaller one."
However, Weber stressed Benz hadn't given up on V8 and V12 engines, although responsibility for those powertrains has now been handed to performance division AMG.
All the latest news and video from the motoring.com.au team at the Paris motor show
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Written byBruce Newton
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