Jeff LierschDirector, Two Wheelers and Motor Sports Division Bosch, He spoke at the recently concluded EICMA in Milan About the energy future around us and the zero emission future. In short: The Sr. LierschAt present, it is not entirely clear.
Meanwhile, political leaders and influential minds around the world are calling for a more eco-friendly society and reducing our dependence on fossil fuels. The two-wheeler industry is at a crossroads and the reality is how complex it is. Indeed, we live in critical times for the future of this industry.
We are at a clear turning point. Some brands have already devoted large sums of money and countless development hours to implementing battery technology. Others have expressed their strong support for synthetic fuels (e-fuels), and a third group is actively exploring the potential of hydrogen energy in fuel cells or combustion engines. As we see, food is served.
Each of these energy solutions has its advantages and disadvantages. They face significant challenges, from sheer cost issues to infrastructure and energy conservation issues. Also, governments around the world have set different conditions and timelines for transitioning to green mobility.
In fact, this year, the European Parliament approved a ban on the sale in member states of all zero-emission passenger cars and vans from January 1, 2035. But motorcycles and light vehicles are exceptions. On the other hand, in the United Kingdom, phasing out various types of gasoline motorcycles by 2030 is being considered. .
While governments in Europe are committed to efficient electricity consumption, on the other side of the pond we see electricity consumption rising. In fact, countries such as Ethiopia, El Salvador or Tanzania can be illuminated for an entire year with only the Christmas lights of the United States. Yankee waste is high. But hey, that’s another story.
Let us remember that Bosch, the German company, has marked a milestone since 1988 by developing the anti-lock braking system (ABS). Today, its focus is expanding to advanced electronic security systems. In addition, they are involved in the field of electric motors and seek to improve the efficiency of combustion engines.
Zero emissions are a reality of the future
He Sr. Liersch Announced: «We see hydrogen as an alternative fuel. But for a type of motorcycle, it is not practical that you have to go a decent distance. So, I don’t see that we have a technological solution that would allow us to use 100% hydrogen in a motorcycle..
At the same exhibition in Milan, despite the hydrogen issue and his reservations, managing director KAWASAKI MOTORS LTD, Hiroshi TomomoriHe addressed the gathering at the same event to double the company’s development of the fuel source.
Actually, as part of a research team HSE (Hydrogen Compact Mobility and Engine Technology) together Suzuki, Yamaha Y HondaChairman Kawasaki declared: „As a member of HySE we actively support research. Hydrogen power will be revealed at the Dakar 2024, where a vehicle will participate… with our test engine«.
On the other hand, Liersch Selective hydrogen injection represents a possible solution for motorcycles, although this possibility is subject to current legislation. As regulations vary significantly around the world.
Note that there is no universal measure that can be applied to all markets. Furthermore, it emphasizes its belief that motorcycles will play a fundamental role in the future of transportation and constitute an essential resource, especially for many emerging markets.
Jeff Announced: «The law should simply state what we need as a result in relation to emissions. I think we shouldn’t say you have to use this technology, you have to use that technology. Because you won’t be getting the best technology. Also, is electrification a solution? For now, in some ways, absolutely. On the other hand, we know there are markets where electrification doesn’t work. You won’t find electricity hanging from trees in the middle of the street in Africa. Therefore, alternative methods are necessary. For me, there are at least two technologies. One is obviously electrification and the second is synthetic fuels, hydrogen or both.”.
Turning its attention to the electric mobility sector, Liersch It holds the view that more attention should be paid to the entire production life cycle of a vehicle than to zero tailpipe emissions. There, our good friend hit the nail on the head.
«That’s a point I personally struggle with,” he said. „I think we need to scale from the first bolt to the wheel, and it should be done that way, because electricity has a cost associated with its creation. Yes, it moves pollution from cities to rural areas, but we are far from having 100% renewable energy for electricity. Since the electrification has no tailpipe, it is absolutely clear that it has zero tailpipe emissions. Electrification does not necessarily mean an end-to-end zero-emission vehicle.”.
Y, Liersch, continue. „Another challenge for manufacturers is the diversity of government approaches to problem solving, which can limit the resources and budget available to implement effective solutions. In fact, the European market is very small compared to other markets. If only Europe decides to push for 100% electrification, we will end up in a situation where an OEM builds a motorcycle today and distributes it worldwide tomorrow.”.
He Sr. Liersch Another external factor influencing the future of motorcycle propulsion is the market for outboard motors for marine vehicles, it says. „There is another category related to motorcycles and that is marine engines. The electrical solution does not work here, there is no electricity in the middle of the ocean. So, we need to have alternative technology for that industry as well. If alternative technologies are developed, why can’t it be used in high-end motorcycles as well? I think electrification is at one end and hybrids at the other.«.
To conclude, Jeff He also said that more standardization of electric motorcycles is necessary. „Gasoline is standardized all over the world. Thinking about what quality? You have a hole to put it in and it looks really nice. On the other hand, everything explodes. Now we come to electrification, we have 48V systems, 90V systems, 300V systems, we have different plugs. How can we get anywhere in the world to have the equivalent of petrol? This is another big challenge: achieving standards in electrification and there is a lot of politics involved. At the end of the day, we need something that is standardized worldwide, not standardized in just one country. This is something never seen before”.
