There has been another engineering breakthrough in the effort to drive down vehicle fuel consumption as a team of researchers at Istanbul Technical University in Turkey have presented an exciting new engine concept.

The breakthrough comes in the form of a 1.6 litre stratified charge petroleum engine with a twin swirl combustion chamber that operates a two-stage combustion mechanism. According to experiments, it can drive down fuel consumption by 17 per cent and achieve a seven per cent increase in power compared to a conventional 1.6 litre port-injected engine.

The new mechanism does not require high fuel injection pressures and it can be applied on current production engines without the need for significant modification.

The combustion chamber takes the form of a figure “8″ and is separated into two zones. One section includes a spark plug with a fuel-rich mixture with an excess air ratio of 0.6-0.8. Meanwhile, the other part is pure air. The fuel can then be injected and fed into the zone containing the fuel-rich mixture. The swirl effect and volumetric efficiency then increases while the counter rotating swirling motion prevents any mixing of the two zones until ignition time. This creates a stratification of the air-fuel mixture across the load range.

As an added bonus, the two-stage combustion mechanism also reduces emissions of criteria pollutants – the lack of oxygen in the rich mixture and low combustion temperature does not allow nitrogen oxide formation.

 The vehicle industry may be united in its efforts to reduce lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions but it is still at odds over how to reach this goal.

Earlier this month, the European Parliament adopted a fuel quality directive as part of the climate change package, which included a low carbon fuel standard. However, now the European Automobile Manufacturers Association (ACEA) has raised several technical issues with the plans.

Broadly, the ACEA has questioned three areas of the directive – metallic additives; biofuel blends and labelling; and fuel specifications.

Below is a brief summary of each area of contention:

• Metallic additives – There was no ban on metallic additives in the fuel quality directive despite calls for this from the ACEA. Metallic additives such as Methylcyclopentadienyl Manganese Tricarbonyl (MMT) degrade the performance of expensive exhaust catalysts, fuel injectors, spark plugs and more meaning higher than necessary emissions. The ACEA wants a total ban on metallic additives.
• Biofuel blends and labelling – Under the structure of the directive, European diesel can have a maximum of seven per cent fatty acid methyl ester (FAME, biodiesel), while individual member states can market diesel with a FAME content in excess of seven per cent. According to the ACEA this is a ‘crazy situation’.
• Fuel specifications – Currently, the directive allows member states to request a derogation against meeting the summer period maximum vapour pressure limit for fuels containing bio-ethanol, something the ACEA brands as ‘completely unnecessary’. The ACEA has also hit out against increases in oxygenates for petroleum.

We are in good company here at TheGreenCarWebsite.co.uk! The queen is having her two Bentleys converted to run on biofuel.  As part of the luxury carmaker’s attempt to reform its gas-guzzling image, the Crewe-based company is launching a new biofuel-burning car in the New Year.

Bentley aim to produce a range of engines which offer a 40 per cent improvement in fuel economy by 2012, the Daily Mail reports.

The two state Bentleys are said to be worth £10 million each, the first, a gift from Bentley which the Queen was said to be so pleased with that she bought the second one.  While Bentley might not be one of TheGreenCarWebsite.co.uk’ s listed green manufacturers, you have to admire the willingness to change.

And the Queen is not alone in her greener endeavours, Prince Charles has also caught the biofuel bug and has his Aston Martin, multiple Jaguars, an Audi and a Range Rover converted to run on cooking fat and surplus English wine (personally, I can’t think of a better use for English wine since it is well-known that the English know how to make wine out of just about anything other than grapes!). 

While biofuel has its critics for dubious carbon savings, threat to food supply and rainforests; second generation biofuels made from household waste and algae among others are in early development stages.

Due to the progress of enabling technologies and a host of positive drivers, pure electric vehicles (PEVs) are garnering plenty of attention from manufacturers and suppliers. The auto sector is now attracting strong venture capital interest in nascent companies providing this technology claims industry service company, PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC). According to PwC, to make it into the mainstream globally, however, further technological and infrastructural barriers need to be overcome first.

Calum MacRae, automotive analyst at PwC, said:

“Pure electric vehicles are not a new phenomenon in the auto industry. In the early 20th Century they were produced in greater numbers than internal combustion engine powered vehicles. Until recently, the lack of suitable battery technology has prevented manufacturers investing in them. While technological issues move closer to solutions, the lack of infrastructure for electric vehicles usage has stunted growth.”

There is no doubt that the current discussions around climate change are indicative of an ever increasing receptive business environment for electric vehicles. Advancing battery development in this area will however, compete with the industry’s already over-burdened R&D needs while current high battery costs dictate the level of consumer demand.

MacRae adds;

“While electricity is cheaper than existing automotive fuels, and running an electric car costs less, acquisition costs are the main hurdle. Incentivising, subsidising and promoting electric vehicles are all contributing factors to their success while letting the auto manufacturers concentrate on expanding their mobility.”

Further incentives such as those recently announced by the US government in the form of a maximum US$7,500 tax credit depending on the kWh capacity of the vehicle’s battery would help advices McRae.

Battery costs vary significantly depending on the technology so tempering these costs will be crucial. The sustainability of electric vehicles is heavily dependent on the energy mix of a country’s electricity. Using non-renewable resources to generate electricity is unlikely to achieve net reductions in CO2 emissions.

PEV Forecast Scenarios
Assembly volume (k units)

Source: PwC Automotive Institute, Q4/2008

“Only when pilot programmes sponsored at state level become more widespread will the full market potential for electric cars be unlocked for the next auto generation.” MacRae concludes.

 Many countries have their own green car plans in place but Italy is being frank about its own approach – it is adopting a ‘wait and see’ attitude.

According to Industry Minister Claudio Scajola, Italy will look at what help the United States and Europe plan for automakers before taking action of its own. It is also looking at incentives for greener cars rather than direct help for companies.

Speaking to the Il Sole 24 Ore newspaper, Mr Scajola said: “We want to move… in tandem with Europe… naturally we all have to wait on the real move of the Americans.”

Currently, Italy offers incentives to consumers to buy less polluting new cars – but these incentives will come to an end on December 31. At this point the government must decide whether to extend the program or not. Currently, the government is under pressure to renew the incentives as sales in Italy slumped by 29.5 per cent in November.

Scajola clearly favours environmentally friendly incentives as he told the newspaper: “I am not talking about direct help I prefer to speak of incentives linked to the whole climate package and the reduction of energy consumption.”

 Another ambitious target has been established as the world attempts to become more energy efficient and increase vehicle fuel economy. Now, the South Korean government has allocated 18.3 trillion won for an energy efficiency initiative with a goal to improve energy efficiency by 11.3 per cent by 2012 and achieve a 16.5 per cent increase in new vehicle average fuel economy.

The market share of vehicles with larger engine sizes has gradually been increasing in South Korea causing the average fuel economy to decline. In December 2007, Korea’s Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Energy said it would tighten fuel economy standards for cars by 15 per cent by 2012 compared to 2004.

In order to meet its 2012 targets, the government will invest 1.2 trillion won in seven core technologies – building energy management systems; energy storage; green cars; electric power IT; technologies to improve energy efficiency of the most energy intensive appliances; LEDs; and green home appliances.

This initiative is part of a long-term energy plan which aims to deliver a 46 per cent improvement in energy efficiency by 2030.

Among the targets of this so-called ‘green growth’ plan are to improve the fuel efficiency of cars, establish a low-carbon public transportation system and implement a plan that will allow South Korea to emerge as one of the top four producers of green cars in the world.

 It’s fairly well known that Detroit’s major car makers are facing something of a green car conundrum. On one hand they are being asked to build greener – but on the other, the cars they are being asked to build are more expensive and may struggle to stimulate demand.

The US government wants workable plans as to how the leading car manufacturers will build greener and more fuel efficient vehicles by April 1, 2009. The problem is that gas prices have slumped since the automakers first fell into trouble – which may once again stimulate demand for the highly profitable gas guzzling vehicles.

If there is little or no demand for green cars, then Detroit will struggle to become profitable again by manufacturing these vehicles that few consumers are willing to buy. This is reflected through the recent purchase choices in North America where the two most popular vehicles are conventional versions of the Toyota Corolla and the Honda Civic. Although they don’t offer the same fuel efficiency as their hybrid alternatives, they are priced significantly cheaper – the Civic for example, retails at between $15,505 and $23,655 depending on its equipment whereas the Honda Civic Hybrid starts at $23,650 and costs up to $27,000.

However, there may be some hope on the horizon for green cars. Honda has found ways to significantly slash the cost of hybrid technology and is likely to debut its Honda Insight hybrid model at below $20,000. In addition, the Chinese built BYD F3DM, the world’s first commercially mass-produced range-extended electric car, sells in China for less than $22,000 – indicating that the company has found ways to significantly slash the cost of battery manufacturing.

If Detroit can follow the lead of its overseas rivals there may still be bright prospects for its green future.

 There have been some fairly odd alternative fuels suggested as a potential problem-solver for the oil crisis over the years – however, surely this is the strangest of the bunch?

A liposuction doctor in California has lost his licence to practice after it was discovered he had been using human fat sucked out of patients’ bodies to fuel his car. Apparently using human medical waste in California is illegal.

Beverly Hills doctor Craig Bittner operated a clinic until November when he was shut down for creating what he called “lipodiesel”. In fact, not only did Dr Bittner use the human fat in his own car, but he also used it in his girlfriend’s car – and even then he had more human body fat left over than he could use to convert to biofuel.

Still his use of the fat was deemed a touch morbid and in violation of the State health code forbidding the use of human medical waste to power vehicles.

What do you think about this story? Should the doctor have been allowed to put the human fat to green use? Or is this a step too far? Leave a comment with your thoughts.

 The iconic London bus has been subject to a redesign after Transport for London staged an open design competition earlier this year which generated more than 700 entries. Now it seems the designs may have spawned a green solution for public transport.

Two bus designs shared first place – one from Aston Martin and Fosters + Partners; the other from Capoco Design Ltd. The first design is a ‘zero emissions ready’ power train, and the second a hybrid power train. Meanwhile another vehicle in the competition proposed flexibly combining passenger and freight transport in the same vehicle.

Known as the Freight*Bus, or the Future*Bus, the vehicle was designed by a team led by Hugh Frost and envisions a network of consolidation centres and cross-docks for freight movement as well as hubs for passenger and freight delivery and collection.

The powertrain of the Freight*Bus includes an all-electric or series hybrid system using distributed wheel motors. There are also new inventions meant to support the passenger/freight system including ceiling suspended seating.

The designers also made reference to the e-Traction bus powertrain used in the Whisper buses – a series hybrid bus with wheel motors that used a lithium-ion battery pack from Valence Technology.

Despite not winning the contest, the team is now looking for OEM partners to further the concept.

 How quickly fortunes can change. Earlier this year you may remember reading about an inventor called Ian Wright (not the ex-Arsenal footballer and Gladiators host) who had created an electric sports car called the Wrightspeed X1. This headline-grabbing sports car was expected to be commercialised and developed in the coming years – but now those plans have hit the brakes.

Mr Wright has been forced to refocus his business on providing essential parts for electric car makers. Why? Yes, you guessed it – falling petrol prices.

It seems that price is outweighing the long-terms pros of serious investment into electric and green cars. Our instincts are simply to pay less at the pump now rather than think of the future (surely gas prices will rise again… and sharply… in due course) and car manufacturers are matching this demand.

As such it appears that many exciting concepts are falling away as we refuse to risk installing hydrogen systems or wait for batteries to be developed.

Now one of the most attention-grabbing green cars of the year has had its production cut short. The question is will more mainstream ideas such as the Volt, Aptera and others also suffer the effects of falling petrol prices? Leave a comment with your thoughts.