A Way towards Remarkable Reduction of Co2-Emissions in Motorsports: The CNG-Engine

Until a few years ago the discussion of reduction of CO₂ emissions was completely out of place in motorsports. Nowadays, also in this field, car manufacturers want to investigate different approaches towards a more responsible and sustainable concept. For this target an interesting and feasible solution is the use of methane as an alternative fuel. At the 2009 edition of the 24-hour endurance race of the Nürburgring the Volkswagen Motorsport GmbH, in addition to vehicles powered by gasoline engines, introduced two vehicles powered by turbocharged CNG engines. The aim was to prove that also an "environment-friendly" concept is able to provide the required efficiency, dynamic and reliability for a successful participation in motorsports. After the success in the 2009 edition the engagement has been continued in 2010; this time exclusively with CNG vehicles. This paper aims to give an overview on the potentiality of a CNG engine for race applications starting from thermo-dynamical considerations up to a concrete comparison with the gasoline engine from which it has been derived. The availability of experimental data and the use of modern simulation tools widen the possibility for studying different scenarios for performance development.