Volkswagen shows two engines of the future

Ford says that it plans to roll out 4-clyinder, V6 and V8 gasoline engines that will deliver diesel-like fuel economy. Well Volkswagen is ahead of the game and has unveiled two concept engines combining the best qualities of gasoline and diesel.

“With the issues of pollution mostly solved, CO2 now dominates the environmental debate,” said Jürgen Leohold, VW’s executive director for group research. “A critical question is where does the energy come from in the future.”

Volkswagen’s two low-emissions engine projects include:

1. A diesel engine that uses the homogenous air-fuel mixing style of a gasoline engine. The result is a fuel-sipping powertrain with low CO2 and virtually no soot, which is a key problem with conventional diesels. VW calls this the Combined Combustion System, and says it could be road ready within a decade.

2. A gasoline engine that can switch to diesel-like compression ignition mode. This strategy is to combine the cleaner exhaust properties of gasoline engines and the better fuel economy of diesels. VW calls it Gasoline Compression Ignition.

Both engines offer higher fuel economy and lower emissions, working with the existing refueling infrastructure. Volkswagen did not mention anything about the launch for the technology.

Source: Automotive News (Subscription Required)

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