September 2015

DME Insider Briefing

DME Insider Briefing

September 2015

A Publication for Members of the International DME Association

Ford Leads Project to Develop and Test First DME Production Passenger Car
GERMANY | Ford Motor Company has
announced that it will lead a project co-funded
by the German government to develop and test
the world’s first production passenger car to run
on DME. The three year, €3.5 million project
involves international collaboration by Ford’s
European Research & Innovation Center with
entities including Oberon Fuels, DENSO, IAV
Automotive Engineering, and Germany’s leading
engine technology research network the FVV,
whose more than 150 members include BMW,
Bosch, Caterpillar, DAF Trucks, Daimler, Delphi,
Honda, MAN, Nissan, PSA Peugeot Citroen,
Toyota, Shell, Volkswagen, and Volvo.

The project, whose findings will be shared with

key players in the automotive industry, will look
at the use of DME and OME (oxymethylene Project partner representatives attend the project launch at Ford's
ether) as diesel replacements in passenger cars European Research & Innovation Center in Aachen, Germany
and heavy-duty vehicle engines. Like DME,
OME is also easily produced from methanol, produces almost no particulate emissions (soot) when combusted, and has characteristics
likely to provide comparable performance and enhanced fuel efficiency in diesel engines converted to its use.

“DME is safe, burns cleaner than conventional diesel, and most importantly is versatile” said Andreas Schamel, Ford’s Director of
Global Powertrain Research & Advanced Engineering. “Alternative, renewable fuels like methyl ethers will play a pivotal role in the
future."

The aim of the project is investigate the fundamental characteristics and application of DME and OME in compression ignition engines
with regard to engine behavior, emissions, fuel consumption, and performance. In the case of passenger car applications, there will be
an additional focus on bivalent operation (i.e. the use of two fuel types by an engine) in order to facilitate market introduction.

A parallel project being done together with RWTH Aachen University will research the viability of different DME production methods
from fossil natural gas, biogas, and other renewable sources, looking at conversion efficiency, estimated fuel prices and infrastructure
aspects. Werner Willems, Technical Specialist for Powertrain Combustion Systems at Ford of Europe said that “This is a project that
could help place vehicles with significantly reduced carbon dioxide and particulate emissions on the market at affordable costs."

Increasing Powertrain Efficiency with "xME Diesel" – (Bio-)methyl ethers as

Alternative Fuels for Bivalent Diesel Engines

The first two years of the project will involve fundamental research and
development related to DME and OME combustion, spray mixture, and
emissions formation for passenger car and (for OME) heavy-duty applications.
Single-cylinder research will take place in Aachen at the Institute for Combustion
Engines (VKA), with multi-cylinder investigations conducted in parallel by the
Technical University of Munich's Institute of Internal Combustion Engines (LVK).

The research will be carried out using common rail direct injection engines from
Ford (a 1.5 liter engine like those offered in the Ford Mondeo and Ford Focus)
and MAN (a six cylinder MAN D20 10.5 liter engine). Findings from this research
will then be transferred in the third year to IAV Automotive Engineering in Berlin
for integration into specially prepared demonstrator cars based on the Ford
Mondeo with 1.5 liter engines, and the demonstration phase of the project Ford Mondeo
conducted.

Patron Members

www.aboutdme.org
 DME Insider Briefing
September 2015

Germany's Leading Engine Technology Research Network and DME Industry

Stakeholders Partner with Ford
The project takes advantage of the specialist technical, research, and project expertise offered by each of the project partners:

Aachen | Project leadership, demonstration vehicles, and Frankfurt | Project administration and information
support for all passenger car activities from Ford's European dissemination
Research & Innovation Center

DME fuel supplier Berlin | IAV Automotive Engineering provides Fuel injection system supplier
vehicle integration support and demonstration
vehicle preparation

Munich | Single- and multi-cylinder heavy-duty engine Aachen | Single-cylinder engine research by RWTH
research by the Technical University of Munich's Institute of Aachen University's Institute for Combustion Engines
Internal Combustion Engines

Events
SAE Commercial Vehicle Engineering
Congress
6 – 8 October 2015
Donald E. Stephens Convention Center
Rosemont, Illinois
Berlin | Co-funding of the €3.5 million project by the German
Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology DME Workshop
Methanol Policy Forum
13 – 14 October 2015
Stanhope Hotel
Brussels, Belgium

th
9 Asian DME Conference
16 –18 October 2015
Waterside Resort
Wuzhen, China

Patron Members

www.aboutdme.org