The era of electrification may be rapidly approaching, but according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), internal combustion engines have a bright future.
Byron Bunker, the director of the Heavy Duty Engine Centre at the Office of Transportation and Air Quality for the EPA, commented that the future of the internal combustion engine is “bright and clear” while speaking at the US Department of Energy’s 2011 Directions in Engine-Efficiency and Emissions Research Conference in Detroit.
Even when projecting the future and talking about batteries and electric vehicles he outlined that “95 per cent or more of the vehicles” in their analysis are relying on internal combustion engines.
He outlined his thoughts on the future of engines and suggested they will be more robust to fuel variation; they should trade elastic power delivery for higher peak efficiency; they need to be able to be produced in high volume to control costs; and they will require sophisticated adaptive control schemes and new sensor technologies.
His words on the ongoing importance of the internal combustion engine were echoed by a number of speakers with Hugh Blaxill, the managing director of Mahle Powertrain, commenting that a surge in four-cylinder engines and a move to variable valvetrain technologies and direct injection will mark the start of a sharp increase in downsized applications and hybrid powertrains.
Meanwhile, Dr David Greene, of Oak Ridge National Laboratory, put over the importance of improving efficiency in the transportation sector in the broader context of transitioning to a non-petrol based form of energy.
