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Mazda Motor Corp said it would become the world's first automaker to commercialize a much more efficient petrol engine using technology that deep-pocketed rivals have been trying to engineer for decades, a twist in an industry increasingly going electric.
The new compression ignition engine is 20 percent to 30 percent more fuel efficient than the Japanese automaker's current engines and uses a technology that has eluded the likes of Daimler AG and General Motors Co.
Mazda, with a research and development (R&D) budget a fraction of those of major peers, said it plans to sell cars with the new engine from 2019.
"It's a major breakthrough," said Ryoji Miyashita, chairman of automotive engineering company AEMSS Inc.
[...] A homogeneous charge compression ignition (HCCI) engine ignites petrol through compression, eliminating spark plugs. Its fuel economy potentially matches that of a diesel engine without high emissions of nitrogen oxides or sooty particulates.
[...] AEMSS' Miyashita said a key issue would be how smooth and responsive the engine is.
"Is it jerky? If so, that would pose a big question when it comes to commercializing this technology." he said. "Hopefully Mazda has an answer to that question."
Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-mazda-strategy-idUSKBN1AO0E7
(Score: 2) by NewNic on Wednesday August 09 2017, @11:33PM (3 children)
Measured the way most people measure economy (MPG), I doubt that. Diesel fuel has more energy per unit volume than gasoline.
Measured as the amount of work the engine does as a fraction of the input energy in the burned fuel, then, perhaps the statement is true.
lib·er·tar·i·an·ism ˌlibərˈterēənizəm/ noun: Magical thinking that useful idiots mistake for serious political theory
(Score: 2) by mechanicjay on Wednesday August 09 2017, @11:48PM (2 children)
Diesel engines are ~30% more efficient than gas, (due in part because diesel is ~12% more energy dense than gasoline). So a 30% increase in gas engine efficiency, doesn't get you all the way there....but it gets you really fucking close.
At that point the energy extraction of both engine types are basically the same, you're just dealing with a roughly 10% difference in fuel energy potential. Given that when my wife and I drive the same car we see a >10% difference in our respective MPG's, It's possibly that the real world observable differences won't really be very great.
My VMS box beat up your Windows box.
(Score: 2) by FatPhil on Thursday August 10 2017, @07:51PM (1 child)
The table in the wikipedia article on the subject ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Energy_density ) says it's less than 5%
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(Score: 1) by toddestan on Thursday August 10 2017, @11:38PM
Though it is closer to 7-8% once you factor in that most gasoline is blended with 10% ethanol.