Nov 15 2005
Siemens has been awarded the German Future Prize 2005 jointly with Robert Bosch GmbH for the development of piezo injection technology for use in diesel and gasoline engines. This is the second year in a row that German President Horst Köhler has honored an innovation from Siemens. Piezo injection technology makes it possible to dose fuel more precisely and, thus, considerably reduce fuel consumption and emissions.
“We’re proud of this award and of the outstanding performance of our researchers and developers,” said Siemens President and CEO Klaus Kleinfeld. “Piezo injection technology is a prime example of how our innovations provide practical solutions for some of the biggest challenges facing mankind in the 21st century. We provide technologies for the sustainable use of resources and for intelligent mobility concepts in heavily populated urban areas.”
Dr. Klaus Egger and Dr. Hans Meixner of Siemens where awarded the prize in Berlin on November 11. With piezo technology, fuel can be more precisely dosed when injected into an engine’s combustion chamber, considerably reducing fuel consumption and exhaust emissions. In cooperation with developers at automotive supplier Siemens VDO, researchers at Siemens Corporate Technology have been working since the early 1980s to get the process ready for the market. In 2000, Siemens VDO began series production of piezo direct injection for diesel engines. Series production of piezo-based direct injection for gasoline engines is scheduled to start in 2006. Since the mid-1990s, Bosch and Siemens VDO have invested more than €5 billion in the development and production of piezo technology. A total of some 9,400 people at both companies work in the field. Eight thousand more are employed at component suppliers.
The award of the German Future Prize 2005 jointly to Siemens and Bosch marks the first time in the nearly ten-year history of the prize that one company has been honored two years in succession. A Siemens researcher was a member of last year’s winning team, which received the Future Prize for the development of a fingernail-sized electric biochip for the rapid diagnosis of disease. For its development of the Straton X-ray tube, another team from Siemens Medical Solutions was among the four teams nominated for this year’s prize. The German Future Prize is awarded to individuals or teams for an outstanding technical, engineering or scientific innovation. Other factors – such as the innovation’s marketability and its contribution to job creation – are also taken into consideration.
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