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Diesel-Like Engine Could Boost Fuel Economy By 50%
bonch writes "Autoparts manufacturer Delphi has developed a diesel-like ignition engine running on gasoline, providing a potential 50 percent efficiency improvement over existing gas-powered engines. Engineers have long sought to run diesel-like engines on gasoline for its higher efficiency and low emissions. Delphi's engine, using a technique called gasoline-direct-injection compression ignition, could rival the performance of hybrid automobiles at a cheaper cost."
WOOHOOO!!!
I don't really care about the karma here, but there's been so much bad news lately this is rather refreshing.
I'll let the critics speak and explain why this is not as good as it sounds, but FTS it's inspiring.
None of us know everything. Therefore we're all naïve.
FTFA: Diesel is dirty and requires expensive exhaust systems.
There's limits to this effect. My florescent lightbulb on my desk lamp is 400% more efficient than the incandescent bulb it replaced, but that doesn't make me sit at my desk 4 times longer.
It's probably inevitable-- it's just a question of when. Battery cost per kWh has been decreasing at around 10% per year, and gasoline is getting consistently more expensive. It seems incredibly unlikely that both of these would stop moving toward the crossover point.
Seems a bit redundant really, I mean everything is moving over the next two decades to electric anyway.
Until we see new power plants being built I am not so sure we will have a large scale transition to electrically powered vehicles. Various parts of our electrical grid are already pretty stressed out and seeing periodic brown outs and black outs. This could put a damper on large scale adoption of electric vehicles.
Don't forget that, when considering the extra mining and transportation of rare earth metals required to build a hybrid car, its overall environmental impact might not be any better than a conventional gasoline engine. My choice would be to buy a gasoline powered car with 50% improved efficiency over hybrid--at least until battery technology (and China's environmental policies!) improve.
You keep using that word "justice." I do not think it means what you think it means.
If by "economic social justice" you mean "ways I believe that I should spend your money" and if by "unjust" you mean "bad because it is not how I would allocate your resources," then maybe.
But "justice" is the application of law to achieve a fair, reasonable, and consistent outcome. If your neighbor gets fined $100 for leaving trash on the street and you do the same thing but don't get fined, that's unjust.
Enabling or subsidizing somebody else to have access to something that they do not currently have may be altruistic or philanthropic and it may even be a good idea, but it's got nothing to do with justice. "Social Justice" might have meant something once, but it's been hijacked in pursuit of so many agendas (because everybody likes Justice, right?!?) that it's about as meaningful as the names of laws, where you regularly see things like "The American Equal Opportunity And High Paying Jobs For Everyone Act" that does nothing like what the title says.
What keeps diesel engines from becoming a standard in the US? I know regulations nearly disappeared them from the market, but that was for environmental reasons, which are the very reasons why diesel cars are attractive. While in Europe it is not outside the norm, here it seems like you are committing a crime if you run a diesel engine.
Also - since diesel engines are so efficient and all - what stops them from making a hybrid car that benefits from the even greater efficiency of diesel? or this new type of diesel like gas engine for that matter?
Many reasons diesel hasn't been popular in the U.S. One reason is environmental concerns - at least in the north east U.S. and California, our emissions standards, particularly for particulates and sulfur compounds, are much stricter than Europe. A second reason is that people tend to buy cars based on horsepower, and diesels lag there. Third, lots of people have bad memories of noisy, smelly diesel engines from the 80's. Fourth, diesels cost more. All that said, they are making a comeback with the newer offerings from VW and BMW (and Mercedes?).
I believe the reason diesels haven't been seen in hybrids is a combination of several factors. One, they are heavier than gasoline engines which in a hybrid already facing weight issues due to batteries could be a problem. Second, they are more expensive than gasoline engines, and again hybrids already face a cost problem. Third, the efficiency gains using gasoline engines have been sufficient to set them significantly apart from most non-hybrid cars, so the additional mileage you might get from using a diesel instead isn't worth the additional cost and weight.
It's probably inevitable-- it's just a question of when. Battery cost per kWh has been decreasing at around 10% per year, and gasoline is getting consistently more expensive. It seems incredibly unlikely that both of these would stop moving toward the crossover point.
Gasoline engines have been keeping up with that 10% though. In 1998 the Ford Mustang GT with a 4.6L V8 had about 215hp. In 2011 the Mustang GT 5.0L V8 packed in 412hp. That's about 7% a year increase in power and a slight increase in mileage. It stands to reason if that extra efficiency was put towards more mpg instead of more power, that crossover point could be farther out than you think.
The good news is it's getting better on both fronts and fast!
...but that doesn't make me sit at my desk 4 times longer.
I couldn't log into the Diablo III servers either. Had to move to the couch and find the damn remote.