Reducing pollutant emissions remains a major challenge for the automotive industry, driven by increasingly stringent environmental regulations. While solutions such as electric vehicles (EVs) and hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) have been developed, internal combustion engines (ICEs) continue to dominate many markets, requiring additional emission control strategies. Traditional technologies like catalytic converters and advanced injection systems primarily optimize performance once the engine reaches its operating temperature. However, during the cold start phase, when engine temperatures are below optimal, combustion efficiency drops, resulting in increased emissions of non-methane organic gases (NMOG) and nitrogen oxides (NOx). This phase is further compromised by factors such as fuel droplet size and suboptimal catalyst performance.
In response, this work presents the development of a Hardware-in-the-Loop (HiL) platform to study the impact of heated injection technology on cold start emissions in a 1.0L Gasoline Direct Injection (GDI) engine. By integrating simulation, modeling, and experimental validation, this research evaluates the potential of heated injectors to reduce harmful emissions during engine cold starts. The proposed system leverages vehicle downtime —such as door unlocking and prestart moments—to preheat the injectors, aiming for faster combustion stabilization compared to conventional solutions like heated catalytic converters.
It is important to note that this project is still ongoing. The experimental phase is pending the arrival of new equipment, including heated injectors and dedicated instrumentation for accurate measurement and validation. Therefore, the current article focuses on the modeling and simulation phases, while the experimental results will be addressed in future work.
Initial expectations suggest that this approach can significantly lower NMOG emissions, offering a promising and efficient pathway for improving the environmental performance of future ICE-powered vehicles.