Interesting article here. Senior research scientist Daniel Cohn, at MIT's Plasma Science and Fusion Center, is experimenting with turbocharging, combined with direct injection and ethanol, and is coming up with some eye-opening results. Both turbocharging and direct injection have been around for some time. However, combining them, and augmenting them with a novel way to use a small amount of ethanol, Cohn and his colleagues at MIT have created a design that they believe could triple the power of a test engine, an advance that could allow automakers to convert small engines designed for economy cars into muscular engines with more than enough power for SUVs or sports cars...
Getting better performance from smaller and more efficient engines potentially means vehicles with fuel economy that could rival that of hybridsâand that fuel efficiency could come at a fraction of the cost.
Full story here.
Full story here.
estreka says:
11:15 AM, 03/14/07
It's an interesting approach, but I think the additional cost ($1K-$1.5K) is a bit exaggerated. From what I gather, the system is similar to a nitrous kit (about $400) with a fuel pump ($100). Maybe the additional costs are associated with implementation and testing. I doubt the results are that profound in terms of torque, though. There truly is no replacement for displacement. When I see an F-250 running down the street with a 2.4L engine, I'll be convinced.
On the other hand, I think it's a great application for sports cars.
ateixeira says:
08:42 AM, 03/15/07
Ethanol has higher octane so it can make more power, but economy tanks. They usually are 40% less efficient. That might offset the economy of a smaller size engine.
Might be lighter, though. That would help performance and economy.
I can't imagine a DI turbo ethanol engine would be cheap, though.