Description

Nearly all European Union (EU) citizens are exposed to levels of air pollution the World Health Organization considers harmful to health, resulting in an estimated 0.41 million premature deaths and €1 trillion in losses to the EU annually. Although the emissions limits for motor vehicles (Euro Standards) have been progressively tightened, the obsolete tests and optimization and circumvention strategies deployed by vehicle manufacturers have failed to deliver real-world improvements. To rectify this situation, the European Commission has mandated a new real-world driving (RDE) test to complement the New European Driving Cycle (NEDC) dynamometer test. Additionally, the EU is planning to replace NEDC test with the newly established Worldwide harmonized Light vehicles Test Procedures (WLTP).
The new realistic real-world driving emissions tests require driving with greater transient events and higher rate of speed and acceleration/deceleration. The new tests will favor technologies that provide relatively stable efficiency across their dynamic range, particularly during transient state. The Frost & Sullivan analysis provides insights on the technology roadmap and technology adoption and penetration outlook for different powertrain systems and technologies. The propulsion systems analyzed include gasoline, diesel, hybrid-electric, plug-in electric, and fuel-cell electric engines. Different types of transmissions are also analyzed, including manual, stepped automatic, CVT, and DCT.