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Clean, economical engines to cut greenhouse gas emissions
PSA Peugeot Citroën is committed to cutting greenhouse gas emissions, an objective it considers to be a strategic priority. Already recognised as a reference in the development of advanced petrol and diesel engines, the Group has introduced key technological innovations, along with the associated systems to control pollutant emissions. The objective: to cut fuel consumption and protect the environment while enhancing driving pleasure.
PSA Peugeot Citroën: world leader in direct-injection diesel technology
Thanks to an innovation strategy focusing on the engine itself and on pollution control technology, the Group's expertise in diesel technology is recognised worldwide. Over the past 15 years and more, PSA Peugeot Citroën has pursued investments in R&D to develop and market a new generation of high pressure direct injection diesel engines using common rail technology. As illustrated by the success of the HDi engine, which is now fitted on more than 12.5 millions vehicles. These engines provide:
- fuel consumption 20% lower than a prechamber diesel engine, resulting in an equivalent reduction in CO2 emissions;
- enhanced driveability thanks to the torque available at low engine speed, with noise and vibration levels comparable to those of a petrol engine;
- excellent environmental performance thanks to the precise combustion control of common-rail technology and efficient pollution control systems.
In 2000, HDi was combined with a new pollution control system, diesel particulate filter system, which destroys all diesel particles - whatever their size - and reduces emissions to barely measurable levels (0.004 g/km). In a world first, the DPFS was introduced on the Peugeot 607. It is now widely available across both the Peugeot and Citroën ranges, and today equips more than 3 millions vehicles.
See our magazine article on diesel technology
Regarding emissions of carbon dioxide, the main greenhouse gas, PSA Peugeot Citroën is the most efficient carmaker in Europe, with nearly one million vehicles emitting less than 130 g/km of CO2 in 2008. Today, roughly one in three vehicles sold by the Group emits less than 130 g/km of CO2.
Petrol engines: a new generation
Tremendous advances were made in pollution control for petrol engines during the 1990s. From 1992, all new European passenger cars had to be fitted with catalytic converters. This brought a spectacular 90% reduction in emissions of the main pollutants: carbon monoxide (CO), nitrogen oxides (NOx) and unburned hydrocarbons (HC). The majority of cars on the road in Europe today are equipped with these systems, and urban air quality has improved as a result.
Since 2004, cooperation between PSA Peugeot Citroën and BMW Cooperation has brought further progress in petrol engine design, resulting in improved performance and pollution control. For example, the new 1.6l engines developed through this cooperation feature the latest technology in terms of architecture, fuel supply and injection. The result: improved driving pleasure, fuel consumption cut by up to 10% and CO2 emissions reduced by almost 15 %.
The Group will continue this progress on petrol engines alone with the introduction in 2011 of a new family of 3-cylinder petrol units generating power of 50 kW to 75 kW. A city car like the Peugeot 107 or Citroën C1 equipped with these engines will emit under 100 g/km of CO2. The new engine family will in the longer term be fitted on compact vehicles like the C1/107, 207 and C3, and even on family cars like the 308 and C4.
Find out more about the new family of 1-litre, 3-cylinder petrol engines
Hybrid diesel engines already in 2011
In early 2006, PSA Peugeot Citroën presented two demonstration vehicles, each one fitted with a hybrid diesel-electric drivetrain, the 307 and C4 hybrid HDi.
The performance of these vehicles marks a significant breakthrough in terms of fuel economy and CO2 emissions. These results go hand-in-hand with a gain in driving pleasure across the board, especially in urban use.
Using this technology, PSA Peugeot Citroën has optimised its diesel hybrids, presenting HYbrid4 technology at the 2008 Paris Motor Show, due for market launch in 2011.
HYbrid4 is based on a simple and ingenious architecture – a 2-litre HDi combustion engine at the front and an electric motor at the rear – that optimises the cost/features ratio. This technology benefits from all the advantages of a hybrid (ZEV mode, energy recovery when decelerating and braking, boost during acceleration). It also offers four drive wheels for safer driving, enhanced driving comfort thanks to the electronic gearbox system (close to that of an automatic gearbox), and the maximum power of the HDi engine. At speeds of over 120 km/h, the electric motor deactivates to eliminate electromagnetic losses and friction, thus ensuring greater efficiency.
Fuel consumption has been considerably reduced, to around 35% less than an equivalent-power diesel.
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