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GM's HCCI engines now run from idle to 60 mph!
Since our first encounter with General Motors' HCCI (homogeneous charge compression ignition) engines in August 2007, the powertrain research engineers at the GM Tech Center in Warren, MI have continued plugging away at the technology, trying to turn it into a marketable reality. The basic premise of compression ignition is simple. Based on the Ideal gas law (PV=nRT), if you decrease the volume of a particular quantity of air, the temperature rises to the point where fuel will spontaneously combust. The hard part is controlling the pressure, ... Read more →
GM powertrain plans: high-tech, low weight Jeremy Korzeniewski
Click above for more early images of the production Chevy Volt It's no secret that we appreciate what General Motors has been able to do with just two-liters. The direct injected and turbocharged ...
Bosch CEO talks lithium ion batteries and diesels Sam Abuelsamid
In the wake of a new lithium ion battery joint venture, Bernd Bohr, CEO of Bosch is not concerned that automakers will try to keep battery production in house. In an interview with German magazine ...
General Motors opens new powertrain engineering center that will create E-Flex Sam Abuelsamid
On Friday GM officially kicked off use of its new Powertrain Engineering Development Center in Pontiac MI. The new $463 million facility includes 120 dynamometer test cells for exercising all manner ...
GM HCCI engine can operate at idle Sam Abuelsamid
General Motors first showed off its prototype Homogeneous Charge Compression Ignition (HCCI) engines last summer in an Opel Vectra and a Saturn Aura. We had the opportunity to drive these vehicles at ...
More hcci news
Mercedes wants to eliminate petroleum from its lineup by 2015 1 year ago on AutoblogGreen
By the middle of the next decade Mercedes-Benz wants its entire lineup to be able to operate entirely free of petroleum. The German giant is working on a variety of technologies that will help provide crude oil free transport such as battery electrics, fuel cells and highly efficient internal ...
GM to debut HCCI on Opel Insignia? 1 year ago on AutoblogGreen
Click on the HCCI equipped Opel Vectra for a high-res gallery There are rumors floating around the interwebs today regarding the Opel Insignia being the first official product from General Motors using its highly-efficient homegeneous charge compression ignition, or HCCI for short. We can't confirm ...
Does diesel have a future? 1 year ago on AutoblogGreen
Does diesel have a future? Autoexpress editor Dan Strong believes the answer is a clear no. He doesn't mince words in his new column: "Thanks to high fuel costs, tough-to-meet emissions targets and growing competition for scarce fossil fuel resources, the engine once championed for its efficiency ...
VIDEO: GM's Paul Najt talks about HCCI engines 1 year ago on AutoblogGreen
Last summer we had the chance to meet up with GM powertrain researcher Paul Najt and drive GM's prototype HCCI engines. Homegeneous charge compression ignition engines basically take some of the technical concepts behind diesel engines and combine it with a gasoline engine. The result is a new ...
Most promising green technologies number six: HCCI 1 year ago on AutoblogGreen
Click on the image to view high-res shots of the Mercedes F700 concept Homogeneous Charge Compression Ignition, or HCCI, holds out a great deal of hope for green automotive enthusiasts. Mercedes-Benz has shown concept vehicles using the technology, which they refer to as DiesOtto, in their F700 ...
Daimler touting breakthrough in battery technology, increases R&D spending 1 year ago on AutoblogGreen
Click on the image to view high-res shots of the Mercedes F700 concept As part of an annual meeting held in Berlin, Daimler CEO Dieter Zetsche says that the company will increase its R&D spending to $21 billion for the year 2010. A major part of those expenses will go towards alternative ...
Mercedes boss doesn't plan to let cost be an issue for more efficient cars 1 year ago on AutoblogGreen
Mercedes-Benz CEO Dieter Zetsche told Motor Trend this week that increased cost was not going to be an issue for his company to meet new fuel economy standards. Obviously getting improved efficiency out of powertrains would make them more expensive as they have to meet U.S. CAFE and European CO2 ...
2/4SIGHT engine concept switches between 2 and 4 stroke operation 1 year ago on AutoblogGreen
Until electric cars and their associated technologies (motors, batteries, controllers etc.) become mainstream, the internal combustion engine will need to be further refined in order to meet upcoming fuel economy requirements and current emissions regulations -- while still producing the power that ...
Mercedes-Benz wins Safety and Technology award for DiesOtto 1 year ago on AutoblogGreen
At their annual award ceremony, British magazine AutoCar singled out the Mercedes-Benz DiesOtto engine concept for recognition. The DiesOtto is a turbocharged homogeneous charge compression ignition (HCCI) engine. It first appeared in the F700 concept at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September. HCCI ...
2008 Prius price up slightly, Camry hybrid and Yaris also up. 1 year ago on AutoblogGreen
Toyota announced the new price for the 2008 Prius hybrid yesterday, and the long and short of it is that it's slightly more expensive than before. $150 more, to be exact. This is a change of 0.7 percent. Other Toyota models also got a "mid-year price adjustments," including the Yaris and the 2009 ...
Mercedes releases two more efficient E-Class models in Europe 1 year ago on AutoblogGreen
At September's Frankfurt Motor Show Mercedes-Benz showed off an array of more efficient vehicles including diesels, HCCI and hybrids. Two of the new models are now rolling into Mercedes showrooms in Europe in the form of additions to the E-Class lineup. The new E300 Bluetec brings the latest ...
BMW will sit back and wait on HCCI engines 1 year ago on AutoblogGreen
While most of the major automakers are actively involved in developing HCCI engines, one prominent manufacturer is taking a wait and see attitude. Axel Rücker manager for Energy Integration Systems at BMW thinks that diesels still offer more potential for greater efficiency and lower emissions ...
Polaris MV800 ATV with Patriot engine uses multiple fuels 1 year ago on AutoblogGreen
We've featured Orbital Corporation and their unique engine technologies before. It turns out that one of those technologies allows a four-stroke engine to run on multiple different fuels. Polaris, the manufacturer of snowmobiles, ATV's and Victory motorcycles is using this technology in their ...
GM's FYI Blog introduces HCCI technology 1 year ago on AutoblogGreen
If you happen to listen to the AutoblogGreen podcast, you already know how we feel about the potential of HCCI engine technology. If you don't listen to our podcast, (first of all, why not?) you can learn about the new engine type in our entire category dedicated to HCCI. Being that this is a new ...
AutoblogGreen Podcast #12 - Frankfurt Motor Show roundup 1 year ago on AutoblogGreen
Better late than never, right? It's totally my fault that AutoblogGreen Podcast #12 is so late in coming, but here it is! Episode 12 is a Frankfurt recap show, and John Neff from Autoblog.com joins Sebastian and Sam to talk about some of the highlights of the dual-personality (green and not so ...
Most Mercedes-Benz Frankfurt alternative fuel vehicles will see production 1 year ago on AutoblogGreen
Last week in Frankfurt, Mercedes-Benz showed off a flurry of alternative fuel and drive vehicles of various types. Of the eighteen vehicles shown, seventeen of them will be in production by 2010 with at least a half dozen of those coming to the US market. The only one that won't hit the streets by ...
Frankfurt 2007: Details on all the green vehicles, with PICS and CO2 / MPG numbers 1 year ago on AutoblogGreen
Man, what a show. We've written about 80 posts about the Frankfurt Motor Show so far, which goes to show that the organizer's theme of sustainability mobility was not just something thrown together at the last minute. The automakers brought the goods to this show, whether it was in concept or ...
Frankfurt 2007: Mercedes-Benz F700 research vehicle with DiesOtto 1 year ago on AutoblogGreen
Click on the Mercedes F700 for a high-res gallery At the Frankfurt Motor Show, Mercedes-Benz has taken the wraps off their F700 concept featuring their DiesOtto engine. Like the engine recently demonstrated by General Motors, this one is a combination HCCI/spark ignition design. However, Mercedes ...
Frankfurt Preview: Video of the Mercedes F700 concept being polished 1 year ago on AutoblogGreen
There's a video out of the Mercedes-Benz F700 concept being prepped for the Frankfurt Motor Show while Daimler's Thomas Weber is being interviewed. Unfortunately the audio is in German, but you can get an early glimpse of the big luxury sedan with the tiny turbocharged HCCI engine. Evidently it's ...
Frankfurt Preview: Mercedes-Benz F700 concept with DiesOtto engine 1 year ago on AutoblogGreen
Click to enlarge var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/design/Luxury_and_Economy_Meet_Mercedes_teases_F_700_concept_with_DIESOTTO'; Mercedes announced about a month ago that they would be showing off their new DiesOtto engine in a new concept car at the Frankfurt Motor Show. As a refresher, the ...
Video of HCCI test drive 1 year ago on AutoblogGreen
We were there but we thought you might like to take a look at what Medialink saw at GM's coming out party for HCCI. The video includes some shots of the car driving around and interviews with the engineers. The idea behind HCCI is basically, kill the spark plug. It's not a new idea at all. I think ...
Autoblog Green Podcast #11 1 year ago on AutoblogGreen
As we head toward the Frankfurt Motor show, AutoblogGreen Podcast #11 is filled with talk about what we'll see at the show. There've been lots of developments from European manufacturers, and we're eager to see those cars up close. Sam also got the chance to attend a GM Powertrain event at their ...
ABG Tech analysis and driving impression: GM's HCCI Engine 1 year ago on AutoblogGreen
Click on the HCCI equipped Opel Vectra for a high-res gallery At the General Motors Proving Ground in Milford, MI on Friday, the company provided their first public presentation of HCCI engines. Most of the major automakers, in addition to researchers at universities around the world have been ...
