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John Heywood, a professor of mechanical engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, predicts that in 2050, 60 percent of light-duty vehicles will still have combustion engines, often working with electric motors in hybrid systems and largely equipped with a turbocharger. So there is still some life left in gasoline engines?ĭefinitely. The efficiency gains come with the ability to operate using a very lean mixture - very little gas for the amount of air - that a typical spark-ignition engine cannot burn cleanly. Instead, combustion is set off by the extreme heat in the cylinder that results from the piston inside the engine traveling upward and compressing air trapped inside, the same method diesel engines use.
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In simplest terms, the big difference with the new engine is that under certain running conditions, the gasoline is ignited without the use of spark plugs. Mazda, which now markets no hybrid vehicles, calls the engine Skyactiv-X and says it is scheduled for a 2019 introduction.
COMBUSTION IC ENGINES CRACK
Researchers around the world have tried to crack this process for years, but it has never really left the laboratory. Mazda said it had made a big advance in a combustion method commonly known as homogeneous charge compression ignition, which would result in gasoline engines that are 20 to 30 percent more efficient than the company’s best existing engines. Why all the excitement about the new gas engine technology? Here is some truth-squadding on the latest in auto technology. It is the latest plot twist in a century of improvements for internal combustion engines, a power source pronounced dead many times that has persisted nevertheless. Just as electrified cars - whether hybrids or pure battery-powered models - seem headed for market dominance, Mazda announced a breakthrough in gasoline engines that could make them far more efficient. This was quickly followed by the news that France and Britain plan to ban the sale of new petroleum-burning vehicles by 2040.īut gas- and diesel-powered engines are not done yet. Last month, Volvo said that starting in 2019, all of its newly released models would be hybrid or all-electric. Early this year, Ford Motor announced that it would develop hybrid versions of both its brawny F-150 pickup, the country’s best-selling vehicle, and the performance-focused Mustang. The trend of electric-powered cars has grown far beyond hybrids like the ubiquitous Toyota Prius. What is far less certain is how large that role will be, or how quickly the shift to electrification will happen. Among all the world’s uncertainties, at least one matter seems settled: Batteries and electric motors will have a major role in powering the cars and trucks of our future.