DETROIT — Industry, government, utilities, labor and academic leaders must mutually take action to improve vehicle efficiency and the use of alternative energy sources in order to confront an imminent period of energy scarcity, said Peter Marks, chairman, president and CEO, Robert Bosch LLC, while speaking June 15, at The National Summit convened by the Detroit Economic Club.
"It will take us a long time to get to energy abundance. And the scarcity scenario will materialize first — and much faster than most would expect. The duration of these scenarios, however, is up to us," said Marks. "We need to quickly and intensively improve existing combustion technology to conserve fossil fuels, and at the same time, ramp-up the use of alternative propulsion and renewable energy sources."
Referring to studies that predict that the demand for oil will outpace extractability as early as 2016, Marks stated that both scarcity and abundance scenarios will occur. Their duration, he added, would be determined in our leverage of alternative energy technologies already known.
He contended that it would require just 0.01 percent of the sun’s energy output per year to cover the world’s yearly demand. “With continued technology development in solar, wind and sea-energy generation and storage, the gap between supply and demand could quickly be closed," said Marks.
Marks believes a range of existing vehicle technologies, including clean diesel, will play a key role in response to new CAFE standards targeted to increase the fuel efficiency requirements for new U.S. light duty vehicles to 35.5 mpg by model year 2016. Diesel vehicles, Marks said, provide a solid business case for the U.S., offering a double-digit gain in fuel economy, reduced greenhouse gas emissions and higher residual value. He remarked, "In my opinion, automaker roadmaps to achieve 35.5 mpg must include clean diesel."
Marks referenced Bosch activities supporting his call to action. The company’s joint venture with Samsung SDI to develop and manufacture automotive lithium-ion batteries will support future electrification. Battery development and charging infrastructure, commented Marks, are critical steps that must first be addressed before electric vehicles become widespread. "By 2015, global automobile production is expected to near 90 million vehicles,” Marks forecasted. “Of that, we expect to see between 3 and 5 million hybrid vehicles and some 500,000 electric vehicles."
The company’s holistic approach to energy utilization and generation has spurred considerable R&D investment in solutions not only for vehicle efficiency, but in all its business segments. In 2008, Bosch generated some $1.5 billion in sales of systems for utilizing renewable energies.
Marks concluded that success in achieving energy abundance and addressing the urgent need for climate protection relies on companies’ ability to technologically respond quickly to a new landscape and the concerted support by all constituents, including conscious consumers who must be motivated to invest in energy-efficiency.
