NEw age CAR engines

In the last two years, carbon emissions have become an issue of contention for new and used car owners. Motorists are being encouraged by both politicians and the media to downsize their vehicles and reduce their carbon footprint.
There is even a strong suggestion that the London Congestion Zone will shift to incorporate vehicle emissions by the end of the year, making it more a low carbon zone than a congestion zone.
Some manufacturers including Saab, think that bio powered or Flex-Fuel cars (ie. Cars which can run on emissions free E85 ethanol or petrol or a combination of the two) are the solution. However, the infrastructure required to set up ethanol filling station pumps, let alone ethanol refineries on a national scale is at least ten years away.Instead, we must embrace the more obvious but mass scale breakthroughs that are happening today. No car manufacturer has been so readily willing to change as BMW.
It's 'efficient dynamics' programme has re-engineered its cars at a phenomenal rate from engine tuning to incorporating regenerative braking technology throughout the range.
The Mini Cooper Diesel is now the cleanest car BMW has ever built, having a combined fuel consumption figure of 64mpg and emitting just 104g/km of carbon dioxide emissions - tailpipe emissions that were unfeasible three years ago. These emissions savings even extend to the 5-series saloon where the 2.0-litre diesel version emits just 136g/km - about the same amount as a hatchback.
Simultaneously, Mercedes released the E 320 BLUETEC in the States. It became the first diesel engine to pass California's stringent vehicle emissions tests, achieved by developing a urea injection system (yep, that's basically wee) to pump a small amount of ammonia-based acid into the exhaust stream, neutralizing the harmful emissions. As a result, it was voted "World Green Car of the Year 2007" and now, it's heading to the UK.
But In the future, Mercedes Benz reckons we will adopt DiesOtto technology, which basically fuses the talents of both petrol and diesel engines together. This technology was unveiled in the shape of the F700 Concept and a compact four-cylinder turbocharged engine with unparalleled power, torque and flexibility. Ignore the fact that the F700 is more than five metres in length, but that it's a luxury performance saloon that has the same economy and emissions as a diesel supermini.



Article from: www.sky.com