Engine Technologies
Volkswagen squeeze 52 miles from a gallon with new Golf BlueMotion
September 4, 2007 Toyota needed two whole engines to get 46mpg from their famous Prius hybrid, but Volkswagen have achieved over 52mpg by simply tweaking a few characteristics of its popular Golf diesel compact in the latest addition to the company’s environmentally-focused BlueMotion initiative. The Golf BlueMotion makes over 1200km from a 55-liter tank, showing that there’s further room for development from the combustion engine. Read More
September 2, 2007 Peugeot will provide a preview of the new 308 at the Frankfurt International Motorshow under the guise of the 308 SW Prologue. Equipped with an additive-enhanced diesel particulate filter system (DPFS), that reduces CO2 emissions, the 308 SW Prologue combines the strengths of the new 308 hatchback with innovative SW features like the new “wrap-around” rear end which allows for the installation of a third row of seats and improves rear vision. Read More
Hypersonic civil aviation: Sydney to Brussels in four hours
August 30, 2007 Imagine long-distance air-travel that could get you to the other side of the globe in less than a quarter of the time it presently takes? Researchers from Reaction Engines, a company created for design and development of advanced space transport and propulsion systems, are investigating the possibility of hypersonic civil transport in a three year study to examine the feasibility of reducing long-distance flights (e.g. from Brussels to Sydney) to less than 4 hours. Read More
August 27, 2007 General Motors has eliminated the spark from the engine cycle in a bold and challenging effort to produce a powerplant that delivers the fuel efficiency of a diesel with the low emissions of a petrol motor. The company has released two concept cars that use Homogenous Charge Compression Ignition (HCCI) technology to burn leaner and cleaner at lower temperatures and deliver up to 15% higher fuel economy. Read More
