With a valuation of USD 5.1 billion in 2022, the global gasoline direct injection market is projected to expand to USD 7.3 billion by 2027, reflecting a CAGR of 7.1%. The market's growth is driven by CO2 emission reduction targets, cost advantages over diesel direct injection, and the trend toward smaller engines. However, high costs and the growing prevalence of battery electric vehicles (BEVs) may pose challenges. Conversely, advancements such as turbo GDI technology, its integration into hybrid and plug-in hybrid vehicles, and stricter emission regulations are expected to provide substantial growth opportunities.
ECU is expected to be the largest segment during the forecast period
The ECU segment is estimated to lead the market mainly due to growing advancements in gasoline direct injection engines. A single-engine control unit (ECU) controls the fuel injectors, regardless of engine size. However, the cost of the ECU is likely to increase in the near future as these are becoming complex as engines use an increasing number of advanced sensors to increase efficiency. ECUs must be able to analyze the data received from the sensors efficiently. Increased demand has encouraged the manufacturers of gasoline direct injection engines and other component manufacturers to offer technologically advanced ECU that helps in the necessary air-fuel mixture, ignition timing, and exhaust gas treatment. Growing demand for premium vehicles and the integration of advanced technology is expected to increase the demand for ECUs in gasoline direct injection engines.
The SUV/MPVs are expected to hold the largest market share for GDI engines in 2022
The SUV/MPV segment holds the largest gasoline direct injection market share.
SUVs and MPVs are the most popular segment purchased globally. With a better storage facility, these segment cars are mostly preferred for the passenger and cargo segments. Initially, General Motors in the USA started manufacturing radically restructured cars, which shifted consumers to buy SUVs and MPVs, which resulted in declining demand for sedan cars. In North America. The same trend is now spread around the globe, where the SUV segment is modified into full-size, mid-size, and compact SUVs. In North America and Europe, SUVs/MPVs are equipped with V6 and V8 engines; however, in Asia Pacific, most SUVs are equipped with I4 engines due to their price-sensitive market. In terms of volume, North America is estimated to be the largest and the fastest market for GDI systems in SUV/MPV due to their high penetration rate. With the growing demand for SUVs and MPVs worldwide, the segment is expected to lead the market in the near future.
Asia Pacific is expected to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period.
China is considered the manufacturing hub for the automotive industry. According to MarketsandMarkets, China and India produce approximately 25 million vehicles yearly. The demand for gasoline cars has increased with the increased production of vehicles and upgraded emission regulations (BS-VI and China 6). The GDI engines offer better fuel efficiency, increased volumetric efficiency, lower exhaust emissions, and high-quality fuel distribution. They produce more power using less fuel; thus, GDI engines would be preferred over conventional MPFI engines. China is estimated to dominate the Asia Pacific GDI engines market during the forecast period contributing >40% to Asia’s GDI engine market. . Thus, the region is estimated to dominate the gasoline direct injection market with a >45% share in 2022.
OPPORTUNITY High-pressure injectors
The current pressure limit for gasoline injectors is 200 bar. Manufacturers are trying to increase the pressure limit to 500 bar to provide cleaner combustion and increase fuel efficiency. As the pressure increases, the spray atomization of the fuel increases, which ultimately improves the combustion characteristics of the Gasoline direct injection. Finer the spray pattern, the more complete the combustion and fuel efficiency increase. Magneti Marelli is developing injectors to work pressure of 350 to 500 bar. Delphi already has a fuel injector with a pressure limit of 400 bar in its product portfolio. In 2021, Magneti Marelli (Italy) developed a new very-high-pressure gasoline direct injection fuel system capable of reaching a 1,000-bar pressure level. The company developed a complete system, including a pump, fuel rail, and an electronic control unit, to result in higher fuel efficiency and cleaner combustion. In December 2021, Stanadyne (US) developed a gasoline direct injection fuel injector that delivers 1,000 bar of pressure. According to industry experts, higher injection pressures can help engine designers reduce tailpipe emissions for upcoming EU7 and SULEV regulations. The injectors would result in higher combustion pressure and, as a result, would enable vehicles to reduce fuel consumption and reduce emissions.
From now on, injectors with pressures >200 bar will be the new norm. Hence, there will be an opportunity for Tier 1 manufacturers and OEMs to work in that direction.
CHALLENGE: High carbon deposits
GDI engines operate at higher temperatures and pressure, which results in high carbon deposits around the injectors and valves. Direct injectors are prone to carbon build-up and are affected by the hostile environment in the combustion chamber and ethanol, hydrocarbons, and additives, which form a part of today’s fuels.
Depending on the engine requirements, this injector style can have varying spray patterns. All direct injectors will atomize a much smaller fuel droplet size than a normal MPI injector. A conventional injector would have a fuel droplet size of +/- 165 microns, whereas some GDI injectors would produce a fuel droplet of only +/- 65 microns. Hence, carbon build-up will result in poor performance and, at times, the engine not starting.
As a result, inspecting and cleaning the fuel injectors at regular intervals becomes very important. This results in higher maintenance costs and an increase in the overall cost of ownership. The high maintenance cost of GDI engines is one of the major reasons consumers don’t prefer to own GDI-equipped cars.
Hence, the high carbon build-up and maintenance cost is expected to restrict the gasoline direct injection market growth.
The sensors segment is expected to grow at the highest growth rate during the forecast period
The number of sensors used depends on the engine size. For example, the I4 engine uses four basic sensors. In the case of V6 and V8 engines, the number of sensors goes up to six and seven, respectively. Again, in V10 and V12 engines, the average number of sensors is nine. As the engine size increases, the applications of advanced sensors also increase. Shortly, the number of sensors used in I3 and I4 engines will likely increase due to engine downsizing without compromising engine power. Bosch (Germany) introduced Lambda sensors in 1976. With timely modification and upgradation, it meets the demands of current emission standards set by many governing bodies. Bosch Lambda sensors cover 85% of UK car parc. On 1st November 2019, SST Zirconia (USA) launched its new oxygen sensor, OXY-02S-FR_T2-18BM-C, which controls the air-fuel ratio before injecting the gasoline into the IC engine.
Content Source:
https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/PressReleases/gdi-system.asp
