Wringing more efficiency out of ICEs while working to achieve more advanced technologies - Economist

Plug-ins and fuel cells are the ultimate way to free ourselves of fossil fuels, but until we get these technologies fully adapted we will have to improve economy from ICEs.
There are things that can be done - now.

It's not necessary to wait 20 yrs to see improvements in gas mileage. the technology is available now. It's just takes some effort to make it happen. I guess the dramatic rise in oil prices is catalizing this effort.

http://www.economist.com/business/displaystory.cfm?story_id=12070722


THERE is nothing like high oil prices, panic-selling of big cars and the prospect of swingeing new penalties on carbon-spewing vehicles to concentrate the minds of the world’s carmakers. In less than two years something remarkable has happened. Technologies once regarded by horsepower-obsessed marketing departments as politically correct public-relations fluff, never likely to see the light of day, are entering the mainstream just as fast as the car firms can get them there.

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And they’re off

The first stage, happening now, is an effort to wring efficiency from the internal-combustion engine. “It is important to recognise that there is not a single solution, and that the internal-combustion engine will continue to dominate for at least 20 years,” says Jürgen Leohold, head of group research at Volkswagen (VW).

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Makers of powerful vehicles may achieve the most spectacular improvements, partly because they have more scope and partly because their high-priced models can absorb the cost of technologies such as the dual-clutch gearbox and direct injection that Porsche uses. But volume producers will soon be making cars that crack 80mpg. The direction of travel for them is clear. Engines will become smaller and lighter, and will have clever new valve-control systems and superchargers to boost power. For example Fiat’s new Multiair, which should be on sale in a year or so, uses hydraulics and electronics to optimise the engine’s valve settings. When this combines with a supercharger or turbocharger, Fiat reckons, a “downsized” two-cylinder engine can be made to perform like a bigger four-cylinder one—though it will use some 20% less fuel.

The second stage of the journey will begin about two years from now. Despite his conviction that the internal-combustion engine will remain, VW’s Mr Leohold concedes that the car industry needs to start moving away from mineral energy and towards electric-powered vehicles. After deriding Toyota’s Prius for its complexity, expense and slightly dubious environmental benefits (on highways it is less efficient than powerful modern diesels), almost every carmaker is now planning hybrid powertrains of one kind or another within a few years. These are no longer seen as a niche market, but as central to the carmakers’ survival. GM’s Volt has gone from being an interesting sideshow to the model that could do more than any other to secure the ailing car giant’s future.

is to be found in using them at their most efficient power/fuel point, as generators, to "wring" more distance capacity out of electric vehicles, imo.


Or, give us a "powerful modern diesel" combined with electric hybrid technology to create a Jetta sized vehicle that gets 80 mpg city and highway. Better yet, make it a plug in so that 90% of the time, it needs no oil based fuel at all.

Dickheads.

On Edit:

If diesels are so much more efficient (and they are) why not a diesel/hybrid drivetrain?

Many - very many - of us have wanted super efficient cars for decades and have been hearing nothing but excuses from the industry. Guess nothing spurs implementation of all the technologies available faster than at 30% drop in sales, eh?

Dear Detroit,

F.U.

Have a nice day,

Me

I've been wanting more diesels available for years, but it's not like diesels are somehow inherently better than hybrid, nor is there any reason not to use the two techs together. And lets face it, hybrid technology is a 1st inning home-run that is just going to get better and better.

With a higher power to weight ratio, smaller and lighter engines can be used. The smart car uses this technique. The smart car requires high octane because its engine uses high compression. This allows for a lighter car/engine and results in higher mpg.

Ford uses direct fuel injection into the cylinder. This helps cool the compressed air in the cylinder and avoids knocks.

However, for even higher compression ratios they will inject ethanol and achieve even high efficiencies.
Ford Promises 30% Better Mileage Using Ethanol Injection

Its only a mater of time before we start seeing hybrid cars using these smaller and lighter engines.

it is able to achieve that much improvement in gas consumption.

This means that with a supply of ethanol equalling only 5% of the fuel supply we could reduce gasoline consumption up to 30% if all cars and light trucks were using this technology. The Ethanol industry should be supplying 55 of the fuel supply in the next year or two.

I think this is why GM went to Ford and proposed that they share engine technologies. GM knows it needs some major improvements to the ICE to sell until they can get the Volt up to quantities that will keep them in business. It will take probably 13 to 15 years to sell enough Volts to produce an aggregate reduction of gas consumption of 3% (where we are today with ethanol) http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=115&topic_id=160775">(depending upn you assumptions re sales growth and mpg for volt).

Cars cannot be made clean, ever.

The sooner the car culture dies, the better. It's a distributed energy nightmare.

Americans in general would rather run the planet into the ground than give up transportational independence.

More of a distributed entitlement nightmare.