BMW says that its straight-six and V8 engines will survive the introduction of new Euro 7 emissions regulations. The current engines should also make it through Euro 7 with all of their performance intact. Per Autocar, the current emissions levels allowed for are unchanged, but cars will be tested over a broader and harsher range of scenarios that better reflect real-world driving conditions. IN addition to that, any Euro 7-compliant engine must remain compliant for a decade or 124,000 miles, and brake and tire emissions will be monitored. Apparently, BMW isn’t worried at all.
BMW Isn’t Worried About Euro 7
It’s worth quickly explaining why this matters to the rest of the world, not just Europe. Many European brands, of course, sell their cars there and abroad, just as BMW does. It becomes much harder to justify selling a car that’s only emissions-compliant in part of the world, owing largely to a thinner profit margin, or none at all.
If BMW’s performance engines couldn’t make it through Euro 7, it’s possible the effects of that would mean a lack of big-motor M cars here in the US or in other markets. All that said, this likely won’t come to pass, BMW M CEO Frank Van Meel said at the Goodwood Festival of Speed. According to him, “the challenge was not so much to make an engine that is EU7 compliant,” but to “keep performance.”
How BMW Made Its Thirstiest Engines Pass New Regs
The whole story is about driving with lambda one [when the air-fuel ratio for combustion is perfectly matched] so you have to keep that, and there’s no cooling. Normally, if you are in high-performance situations, you cool using the fuel. With EU7, that’s impossible, so you need to find different ways of avoiding temperature build-up. – BMW M CEO Frank Van Meel
Van Meel says the combustion process has to be improved, and a big part of that is managing how an engine heats and cools. The easiest thing would be to reduce performance, but when BMW M’s performance is on the line, that simply wasn’t an option. Unfortunately, all the M boss would say on the matter is that driving a lambda one is key to this process. It was clear he didn’t want to reveal specific technical details.
However, Van Meel did say he intends to keep M’s big engines around for as long as he can. Downsizing isn’t an option, says Van Meel. “The six-cylinder in-line engine is our legacy, and the V8 has a long history in racing, so we intend to keep going.”
TopSpeed’s Take
As Van Meel points out, the brand’s big engines are all set for a good while. It’ll be interesting to see what happens when BMW is once again pushed to update its engines. The automaker will at some point have to choose between electrifying its powertrains, downsizing, or reducing power output.
Source: Autocar
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