Plan B Forum

One of the world’s largest automotive firms has hailed a technological breakthrough for the petrol engine, in an engineering twist for an industry racing to embrace the electric car.

Japanese car manufacturer Mazda claims to have designed a vehicle that will largely eliminate the need for spark plugs in petrol engines, increasing fuel efficiency by as much as 30%. The development also increases the existential threat facing diesel engines because its fuel economy could match diesel’s performance without high emissions of nitrogen oxides or sooty particulates.

Mazda said it would sell cars from 2019 with a newly developed petrol compression ignition engine, a technology that automotive manufacturers, including deep-pocketed rivals such as Daimler AG and General Motors, have been chasing for decades. The engine ignites petrol through compression, removing the need for spark plugs and increasing fuel efficiency.

The announcement places traditional engines at the centre of Mazda’s manufacturing strategy, days after the company – which sells 1.5m cars a year – said it will work with larger rival Toyota to develop electric vehicles.

“We think it is an imperative and fundamental job for us to pursue the ideal internal combustion engine,” said Mazda’s head of research and development, Kiyoshi Fujiwara. “Electrification is necessary but ... the internal combustion engine should come first.”

But Mazda said its Skyactiv-X engine would have spark plugs that would be used in certain situations such as at low temperatures.

“It’s a major breakthrough,” said Ryoji Miyashita, chairman of automotive engineering company AEMSS.

https://www.theguardian.com/business/20 ... -of-diesel

The development also increases the existential threat facing diesel engines because its fuel economy could match diesel’s performance without high emissions of nitrogen oxides or sooty particulates.