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 consumers have come to expect. HCCI is one technology currently being developed to make these goals possible, while direct injection and turbocharging are simply becoming quite common.

Ricardo has developed a new prototype engine called 2/4SIGHT which could give HCCI a run for its money. An engine equipped with this new system is capable of running on either the 2 or 4 stroke engine cycle, allowing their V6 test-bed to be downsized from 3.5 liters to 2.0 liters while making the same power output. This downsizing leads to a 27 percent reduction in fuel consumption and correspondingly lowered emissions.

Ricardo believes that their 2/4SIGHT technology will be cost effective and easy to package for vehicle use. A video of the test engine switching from 2 to 4 stroke can be seen here.


[Source: Ricardo]

A few years ago, Bajaj stopped making their Chetak and Legend scooters, and since then there has been a dinstinct lack of any steel-bodied, manual transmission, 4-stroke scooters on the market. Genuine Scooters has begun selling their Stella scooter again after a short absence and Vespa themselves re-released 500 of the PX150 model to the American market, but both of those machines feature 2-stroke engines. Bajaj made some pretty compelling claims regarding the emissions improvement of their 4-stroke engine as compared to the original 2-stroke powerplants like those used in the Stella and PX150, so scooter riders who feel the need to ride "green" machines have been forced to scour the used market or buy a newer "twist and go" style model. There are a few rumors circulating, though, which could change all of that. The Stella scooter is made in India by a company called LML, and that same company may begin creating four-stroke, steel-bodied scooters using an as yet unnamed 4-stroke motor ranging from 125cc, 150cc and even 250cc versions.

If LML does start making 4-stroke Vespa PX clones, we can foresee a huge market for them in the States. We would love to see Genuine Scooters offer these models alongside their current range of Stella scooters, keeping the vintage designs in dealer showrooms for years to come.

[Source: 2-Stroke Buzz]

We have brought up the idea of saving money on gas by riding a motorcycle or scooter a few times now, and invariably, we get comments which state that motorcycles are worse for the environment than cars. Is that true? Not necessarily. Exhaust emissions are calculated in parts per million, and more parts per million of harmful particles in the exhaust is bad. This is often cited in defense of cars, as motorcycles often have worse ratings in parts per million that autos. But, what about the difference in total amount of exhaust? The smaller the engine, usually the less total exhaust comes our the tailpipe. So, motorcycles with smaller engines may or may not be better for the environment that automobiles. Note, too, that most modern motorcycles are equipped with fuel injection and modern computer controls in addition to their necessary catalytic converters (click for a test in 1999 - warning: .pdf), all of which make quite a difference in overall harmful emissions. Remember, the worst polluters are the old 2-stroke bikes, which are not sold really in America anymore.

But, what about electric motorcycles? Here is one made by Lightning Motors. The bike is based on the Yamaha R1, which, at 1000cc, does not have a small engine from the factory. The R1 is one of the highest performing motorcycles on the roads today, and is a bit of a status symbol. The conversion is slightly ungainly, because of the box-like lithium ion batteries hanging from the frame spars. The article also speaks of charging the bike using solar panels, which is an intriguing possibility for an electric cycle, as they should need fewer hours of charging for the distance required to travel in comparison to a heavier, more powerful electric car.

[Source: LA Times]