From track to road and back to track again. That is the path for gasoline direct fuel injection. In the late 90s Audi added direct injection to its R8 Le Mans prototype in order to get more power while consuming less fuel. In racing reducing fuel consumption is important because it allows cars to run farther between pit stops spending more time on the track. Direct injection eventually migrated into most of Audi's production engines along with those from parent company Volkswagen. After adding direct injection to the Cayenne GTS and 2009 911, Porsche is now migrating that same technology back to its own race program. The Porsche RS Spyders debuted a new direct injected version of the 3.4L V8 two weeks ago at Mid-Ohio and won the LMP2 class. The output of the DI engine went from 476 hp to 503 hp while fuel consumption dropped. Porsche is not saying how much it went down, but they are evidently still developing the system and optimizing it. For example the engines now run extremely lean under light loads greatly reducing consumption in a manner that would not be possible with a port fuel injection system. In coming years we will be seeing virtually all gas engines migrating to direct injection.

[Source: Porsche]

The automotive world will be getting a new Chevy Equinox bestowed upon it for the 2009 model year, and news from General Motors now places a 2.3L direct-injected four-cylinder engine underhood. Currently, the Equinox comes equipped with a boat-anchor of a base engine in the form of a 185-horsepower 3.4L V6 engine. Of course, there is nothing wrong with a pushrod engine, as long as its been suitably updated along the way -- which this one hasn't. The only way to get a more modern powerplant is to step up to the Sport version with its 3.6L V6 with 263 HP, mated to a nice six-speed automatic tranny. A nice combo to be sure, but a little heavy on the 'go' side for fans of fuel savings.

The Equinox will be joined in 2009 by the GMC Terrain, which replaces the Pontiac Torrent as the non-bowtie branded small CUV from GM. It likely goes without saying that the Terrain will also get the new four-cylinder engine. So far, we don't have specific details on the new engine from the General, but considering how good its 2.0 turbocharged DI engine is, we have high hopes that the 2.3 will be a worthy powerplant as well.

[Source: GM]

Mazda has declared that by the middle of the decade they will have replaced their entire powertrain lineup and cut fuel consumption by 30 percent. On the powertrain side, engines will be upgraded across the board including a new direct injected wankel rotary. In 2009, a new Smart Idle Stop system will debut that restarts the engine using the direct injection system instead of the starter. Fuel will be sprayed directly into the cylinder and ignited to get the pistons moving. New gas engines will get direct injection and Mazda will add new clean diesels to the lineup worldwide as well as continuing to develop hydrogen-fueled engines.

Ford's Japanese affiliate intends to continue down the path begun with last years new Mazda2 and the new 6 this year by reducing the weight of new models. The trend of recent decades to higher powered engines has led to a cascading effect of increased mass to support the power. Mazda intends to reverse the process. From 2011, Mazda wants to cut at least 220lbs from new models.

[Source: Mazda]

There's no doubt that there are a lot of advances in powertrain technology that will improve the efficiency of vehicles over the next few years. There are near-term features like direct fuel injection, turbocharging and dual clutch transmissions. Other features like start stop systems and electrification of accessory drives will help too. The problem is these features all add cost to the vehicle. If consumers don't buy vehicles equipped with this kind of technology, there is no net benefit. Ernie DeVincent VP of Getrag spoke at the SAE World Congress this week and said that automakers have to do more than just put the new features on vehicles, they have to market it as well. New technology has always been something that has helped sell vehicles and it's more important than ever now. While some of changes may not provide as much improvement as a diesel or full hybrid system, their lower cost means that far more buyers can afford it. The aggregate improvement from 7-8 million vehicles a year with a 15 percent improvement in efficiency is far greater than 300,000 cars that get a 30 percent boost.

[Source: Ward's Auto World]

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]

From time to time, technology has the ability to both improve the specific power output of an engine while also reducing its emissions. Such is the case with direct injection, so we are not surprised to hear that the high-performance tuning arm of Mercedes Benz, AMG, has decided to implement it on their line of engines. Another possible performance-generating and emissions-reducing technology lies with the electric motor, which makes up half of a hybrid drivetrain. While the idea of an AMG hybrid may sound odd at first, remember that electric motors can offer up large quantities of torque just off idle, allowing engineers to make a free-breathing, high-RPM engine without sacrificing around-town drivability.

While stop/start technology does not improve performance, it is an easy-to-implement technology which will further reduce the emissions while increasing the fuel efficiency of whatever car it is applied to. So, AMG is also considering fitment of this hybrid-staple as well. These types of inclusions will likely saturate the performance market soon enough as these automakers will be forced to comply with the same regulations as their lesser-performing counterparts. If AMG does decide to go green, expect to see the fruits of their labor around the year 2012 or so.

Related:

• Mercedes could be jumping into the high-performance diesel race with AMG

[Source: Inside Line]

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 Patriot engine. This engine is designed to use military-grade JP8 fuel, but is also capable of running on regular diesel or even gasoline. The technology in use is reportedly similar to HCCI, but is apparently somewhat different. The fuel is directly injected into the combustion chamber along with a low-pressure stream of air. Orbital is calling the system air assisted direct injection. Orbital claims that an engine using their technology can reduce fuel consumption by 20 percent while still achieving Euro III emissions standards.

The Patriot engine is available in Polaris' MV800 ATV, which was developed for the military. The engine is 760ccs and produces 40 horsepower. Take a look at the press release after the break.

Related:

• Adding E100 to the turbo-direct-injection mix could greatly improve efficiency
• Bajaj auto-rickshaws to get fuel injectors for LGP, CNG models

[Source: Polaris via The Kneeslider]

There are many who question whether or not small-volume or high-performance manufacturers should be held to the same emissions and fuel economy regulations as the larger automakers. Ferrari qualifies as both a small-volume (though getting larger) and a (very) high performance company. Indeed, the Italian maker of sports and racing cars is quite concerned with legislation which could make it impossible to sell their current line of vehicles, and they are looking at direct injection as a means to improve fuel economy and reduce emissions. We have covered some of the other more radical concepts they are looking at in their Millechili concept car.

Audi could be considered the current market leader when it comes to direct injection, which is why Ferrari is benchmarking them when it comes to the design of their new fuel system. Ferrari is working with Bosch as well, as they have experience working with Audi on their FSI direct-fuel injection system. You might recall that direct injection was one of the methods that we highlighted as a potential fuel-saving and emissions-reducing technology last month, and Ferrari apparently agrees. As a bonus, direct injection will add a 'cavallino rampante' or two to Ferrari's engines, which is something that they are always looking to do anyway.

Related:

• What's next for the Ferrari Millechili eco-friendly concept?
• The Ferrari Mille Chili eco-concept - picture and details inside!

[Source: Autocar via Autoblog]

Today, we will be listing the top ten easiest to implement green technologies that already exist today. Now, this is a rough list, every car is different and not all of these technologies are applicable to each one. But, let's take a look at each one and see what gains there could be from them, starting with the easiest one, LED bulbs.

LED stands for light emitting diode, and they are already common in all types of devices. One very desirable trait that they posses is that they last a very long time. They also can be quite bright. Additionally, the bulbs draw very little electricity, which paves the way for some of our other gas-saving technologies later on the list.

Next on the list are smaller wheels. With DUBS being ultra-hip these days, I'm not going to go crazy and say we should all go back to fourteen inch wheels. But, style is getting in the way of substance when our wheels get much larger than seventeen or eighteen inches. Also, consider going narrower! Wide tires convince some that the car must be faster. In reality, most of the time they are just using more gas.

Keep reading after the jump for the rest of our commentary.

Volkswagen debuted a concept version of their Tiguan compact SUV last November at the Los Angeles Auto Show and it looks the production version won't be changing much. Volkswagen is holding their final sign-off ride for the new vehicle in Namibia to evaluate the hot weather performance and off-road performance. Unlike some of its competitors - the Ford Escape, Saturn Vue and Toyota Highlander - the Tiguan won't offer a hybrid version, at least not at first.

Instead, Volkswagen will offer a range of five different engines. There will be three different gas fueled TSI engines with 150hp, 170hp and 200hp. The TSI engines are VW's small displacement direct injected engines with both turbo and supercharging. In addition to the gas engines, VW will be offering a diesels with 140hp and 170hp. Which, if any, of these engines will make it to US market is unknown although at least one of the diesels is likely. It will be interesting to see how the Tiguan, especially the diesel, does against the hybrids in its class.

[Source: Volkswagen]

Volkswagen has put out more details on their new 1.4L 121hp TSI engine that will be offered on Golfs, Jettas, Tourans and Passats. The new direct injected engine will be replacing the older 1.6L FSI port injected engine in the lineup. The turbocharged TSI gets a bump in power from 114hp to 121hp and a thirty percent bump in torque to 148 lb-ft at 1500rpm.

While the performance has improved, the new motor uses six percent less gas. The improved torque allows the use of taller gear ratios to allow for similar performance at lower engine rpm. That helps improve the fuel economy and reduces noise levels. A lot of European countries calculate vehicle taxes based in part on engine size so the new smaller engine will reduce owners registration fees without sacrificing performance. The engine will also be paired up with the new seven speed DSG transmission.

[Source: Volkswagen]

General Motors' first North American application of direct injection on a gasoline engine was the 2.0L turbo four cylinder in the Pontiac Solstice GXP/Saturn Sky Red Line. The direct injection allowed the engine to produce more power while getting better fuel economy than the base 2.2L engine.

Now the DI love is spreading to the 3.6L V-6 in the Cadillac STS. The updated engine gets an fifteen percent bump in power to 298 hp and six percent increase in torque. The final fuel economy numbers aren't available yet, but they are expected to improve compared to the original engine. The more precise fuel control also results in a twenty-five reduction in cold-start hydrocarbon emissions. The variable valve timing is also used to delay exhaust valve closing under certain conditions allowing exhaust gases to be pulled back into the combustion chamber. This lowers the combustion temperature and reduces NOx emissions without having to use an EGR system.

GM expects to build 200,000 direct injected engines annually by the end of 2008 and will expanding the use of direct-injection the coming years. The STS press release is after the jump.

[Source: General Motors]

This information will not come as a shock to our readers, but I thought that I would go ahead and share the story with you anyway. As you are well aware, turbocharging an internal combustion engine can lead to higher power output by adding additional oxygen into the engine. This has been used to great effect on street and race cars for a long time now. I'm sure you are also aware that raising the compression of an engine also has the effect of raising the engine's power output. One hardship to overcome with turbocharging an engine that already has a high compression is the octane level of the gasoline. As the power output of the engine increases, and additional gasoline and air (fuel) are burned, the heat generated raises as well. In extreme cases, the fuel will ignite before intended, causing what many refer to as knocking. Pretty normal stuff here, I know. Anyway, by using what is known as direct injection, the chances of knocking are reduced. Audi and Volkswagen have been doing this as of late on their gasoline engines. Diesel engines have also been making use of this technology.

Here is where the information gets a bit more interesting. Regular readers may remember some of our past articles related to the performance potential of ethanol. Because ethanol burns cooler than gasoline, the compression of an engine designed to run solely on ethanol can be raised. By combining this characteristic with direct injection and turbocharging, researchers at MIT have been able to vastly increase the power output of small engines. The engines use gasoline through standard fuel injection, with a separate direct injection system for the ethanol. The benefits include saved weight over a comparably powerful, less advanced engine, and possibly lower cost. Check the article out here for more information.

Overall, the concepts introduced in this article are not new. Combining them into a single working engine may be, however. I can't specifically recall the use of direct ethanol injection into an engine running on normal gasoline. If you are aware of anything similar, why not let us know about it in the comments?

[Source: Technology Review via Edmunds Inside Line]