BMW’s new water injection system that debuted under the hood of the M4 GTS is set to spread throughout the industry.
The water injection system was designed through a collaboration between BMW and supplier Bosch, a company which expects to put water injection into mainstream production by 2019. Exactly where the system will wind up is still unclear as the brand’s project manager wouldn’t confirm which brands may be taking the technology, though he did say that Bosch is in conversation with major automakers.
Water injection brings numerous benefits, the most important of which is increased efficiency and a reduction in emissions, two engine characteristics that all automakers are grappling with in order to meet strict government-imposed fuel economy standards. It works by spraying water vapor into the engine’s intake before fuel combustion, resulting in a reduction in temperature which manages engine knocking.
SEE ALSO: 2016 BMW M4 GTS Announced With Power Boosting Water Injection System
On the BMW M4 GTS, the system managed to boost power by 5 percent, fuel efficiency by 13 percent all while emissions dropped by 4 percent. To run the system, a five-liter tank is fitted in the trunk and needs to be refilled with water about every 1800 miles (2896 km) on average. If the water does run dry, the engine will still run, just at reduced outputs.
Freezing of the water in cold markets is the big issue that Bosch is currently trying to solve.
“We are in contact with major automotive makers already, but we can’t talk about them in more detail at this stage,” said Martin Frohnmaier, the project lead for the water injection system. “We can say that we expect the system to make mass production from 2019.”
BMW is expected to continue adopting the technology throughout its lineup.
[Source: Autocar]
