Automotive technology: Electric and hybrid cars are being given a run for their money by an unlikely competitor: a range of advanced diesel engines that set new standards in performance and fuel economy
TESLA MOTORS has had great success with its Model S luxury electric car, which has outsold its petrol-powered equivalents since being launched in America last year. Even so, the prospects for battery-powered vehicles generally may never shine quite as bright again. Having had their day in the sun, they may soon be eclipsed by, wait for it, the diesel engine.
American readers will find this idea particularly hard to swallow. Surely not that dirty, noisy, smelly, lumbering lump of a motor that was hard to start in winter? Certainly not. A whole new generation of sprightly diesels—developed over the past few years—bear no resemblance to the clattering Oldsmobile 4.3-litre diesel of the late 1970s, which single-handedly destroyed diesel’s reputation in America for decades.
Later this year Americans will get their first chance to experience what a really advanced diesel is like—and why Europeans opt for diesels over hybrids, plug-in electrics and even petrol-powered cars. The leader of the new pack is the Mazda 6, with the choice of either a 2.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine or a 2.2-litre turbo-charged diesel. The diesel has more than 30% better fuel economy and provides oodles more pulling power. Good as the petrol version is, motorists who choose it over the diesel will miss out on a lot. And Mazda is not the only carmaker with an advanced diesel in the works. Among others, Mitsubishi Motors has been selling cars with a new generation of 1.8-litre and 2.2-litre diesel engines in Europe since 2010. Hedging its bets on hybrids, Toyota has also been testing several radically new diesel designs.
What marks this latest generation of diesel engines from even their “common-rail” predecessors of the late 1990s, let alone their belching ancestors from the 1970s, is the use of a surprisingly low compression ratio of around 14:1 rather than the more usual 16:1 or higher. The reduction in cylinder pressure may sound marginal, but it gives rise to a virtuous cycle of beneficial effects that were previously unavailable.
For a start, the lower cylinder pressure reduces thermal and mechanical stresses in the engine. As a result, the heavy cast-iron block traditionally needed to stop a diesel ripping itself apart can be replaced with a lighter aluminium casting. That trims 25kg (55lb) off the weight of the block of the new Mazda diesel. Lower cylinder pressures mean that pistons, rings, valves, crankshaft and other engine parts can also be made 25% lighter. And because they are weighed down less by the engine, the vehicle’s brakes, suspension and bodywork do not need to be quite so rugged either. All these weight savings translate into greater efficiency. According to Ricardo, an engineering consultancy, every 10% reduction in a family car’s weight boosts its fuel economy by more than 4%.
Another benefit of lower cylinder pressure is that the lighter moving parts in the engine generate less internal friction—improving efficiency still further. And having less inertia, they allow the engine to spin faster and more freely, which also boosts efficiency. Mazda’s new “Skyactiv-D” engine can reach 5,200 revolutions per minute, a figure previously unheard of among road-going diesels. All told, the improvement in engine efficiency more than compensates for any loss of power caused by reducing the diesel’s compression ratio. As it is, diesels start off by being 30-35% more efficient than petrol engines. The new low-compression diesels are likely to be even more so.
There are benefits on the emissions side as well.
The Latest Bing News on:
Diesel engine
- 5 Of The Best Engines Ever Put In An Oldsmobileon May 11, 2024 at 3:15 pm
Oldsmobile may not be as relevant today as some other GM brands, but the manufacturer's heyday yielded some truly impressive engines and muscle cars.
- IndyCar live updates at Indy road course: Blown engines, angry gestures among spicy prerace storylineson May 11, 2024 at 12:37 pm
Alex Palou starts on the pole position of the Sonsio Gand Prix after an eventful Saturday morning at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
- What Is The NSF Engines Program? Here's Everything You Need To Knowon May 11, 2024 at 8:00 am
As a huge government backed scheme seeking inventors and innovators, this is where you should take that bright idea. Here's all the details.
- Dream Engines: Nomad Cities Launches Out of Early Accesson May 11, 2024 at 1:18 am
The indie game studio Suncrash has released the full version of Dream Engines: Nomad Cities after almost three years in early access.
- What To Know About Gasoline Direct Injection (GDI) Engineson May 10, 2024 at 3:30 pm
Learn how GDi technology evolved from its early challenges in the 1920s to becoming viable in some of the automotive industry's most reliable engines.
- Feds Probe Ford Over F-Series Diesel Engine Fires After Four Injurieson May 10, 2024 at 2:03 pm
NHTSA has received 27 customer complaints about a fuel leak in Ford Super Duty trucks equipped with the 6.7-liter diesel V8 ...
- Submitting Your Website to Search Engines: Here's How (and Why)on May 10, 2024 at 7:41 am
Terms may apply to offers listed on this page. When search engines were young, they needed help finding sites on the internet, and you would submit your website’s URL. Today, you submit your ...
- Truck owners argue to reinstate claims against GM for lying about ‘clean diesel’ engineson May 9, 2024 at 8:35 am
A class of consumers says deceptive marketing duped them into buying Duramax diesel trucks, which emitted higher amounts of pollutants than their gas-burning counterparts.
- No, combustion engines won’t be supplanted by electric vehicles—and they’re critical for sustainable transporton May 8, 2024 at 11:55 am
EVs will play a key role in the green transition, but so will hybrids and other vehicles powered by internal combustion engines.
- AerCap reaches agreement to purchase 150 Leap engines as spareson May 8, 2024 at 7:03 am
Irish aircraft lessor AerCap has reached an agreement covering the purchase of 150 CFM International Leap engines, which will be used as spares for its growing fleet of Airbus A320neo-family jets and ...
The Latest Google Headlines on:
Diesel engine
[google_news title=”” keyword=”Diesel engine” num_posts=”10″ blurb_length=”0″ show_thumb=”left”]
The Latest Bing News on:
Advanced diesel engines
- 5 Of The Best Engines Ever Put In An Oldsmobileon May 11, 2024 at 3:15 pm
Oldsmobile may not be as relevant today as some other GM brands, but the manufacturer's heyday yielded some truly impressive engines and muscle cars.
- Second Type 31 frigate has first diesel engine lifted into placeon May 10, 2024 at 11:49 am
The UK’s five Type 31 frigates will be powered by four MTU 20V 8000 M71 engines in a CODAD configuration, rather than the CODAG set-up of the incumbent Type 23 frigates, which utilise gas turbines.
- Beat the Heat: APU Technology Goes Mainstreamon May 10, 2024 at 10:35 am
Hasler points out that APUs provide power for heating, cooling, and electronics, eliminating the need to constantly run the engine. This is especially important with the growing demands for devices ...
- HORSE And HABAŞ Forge Partnership For Efficient Diesel Powertrains In Turkeyon May 9, 2024 at 1:35 am
HORSE partners with Turkish automotive manufacturer HABAŞ, supplying efficient diesel powertrains for new light commercial vehicles, marking a significant milestone.
- Renewable diesel, not electric, key to cutting trucking emissions: Reporton May 8, 2024 at 5:00 pm
That study found a potential 30% decrease in life-cycle CO2 emissions of a BEV compared to a internal combustion engine truck using diesel, and a 67.3% decrease using renewable diesel in existing ...
- Railway Engine Market Expected to Hit USD 41.06 Billion by 2033, Growing 4.8% Annuallyon May 7, 2024 at 10:05 pm
The railway engine market is anticipated to thrive at an average CAGR of 4.8% between 2023 and 2033. The market is anticipated to reach a market share of USD 41.06 Billion by 2033, while it holds a ...
- This is the new generation of diesel in US: 300-miles autonomy and 30 % cheaper than fuelon May 5, 2024 at 7:00 am
The new generation of diesel in US will put an end to conventional fuels: 300-miles autonomy and unseen concept in history ...
- Engines, Inc. Names Hughes Managing Directoron May 1, 2024 at 5:00 pm
engines, inc., a Jonesboro, Ark. based distributor of diesel engines and generator sets, has hired David Hughes as its new managing director. Hughes is an industry veteran with expertise in marine ...
- Chinese manufacturer builds world's most efficient diesel engineon April 30, 2024 at 6:00 am
The days of the diesel engine are far from numbered, according to a Chinese company that has developed what is billed as the world's most efficient version of the self-ignition motor. Chinese company ...
- FPT Industrial Introduces G-Drive R24 and Cursor 13 Engineson April 28, 2024 at 5:00 pm
The R24 is FPT Industrial´s new engine in the low-displacement power generation field. It comes as a compact four-cylinder G-Drive, complete with engine, radiator and air filter for a limited ...
The Latest Google Headlines on:
Advanced diesel engines
[google_news title=”” keyword=”advanced diesel engines” num_posts=”10″ blurb_length=”0″ show_thumb=”left”]