Eco Factor: Fuel-saving engine technology.
Spark-free combustion is analogous with diesel engines where heat and pressure trigger combustion. Being a fuel-saving technology, General Motors is pushing the technology to much used gasoline engines, which conventionally rely on precisely timed sparks for fuel combustion. The company claims that HCCI (Homogeneous Charge Compression Ignition) could lead to up to 15% in fuel savings over comparable non-HCCI engines by radically altering the combustion process.
The air/fuel mixture in an HCCI engine’s cylinders is ignited with the help of heat and pressure that is created inside the engine. This process has a dramatic effect on fuel efficiency and it doesn’t even require an expensive exhaust “after-treatment” system, which is used in diesel engines to reduce emissions.
GM states that while the technology looks promising, it is marred by a few challenges that includes controlling the combustion process over a wide range of operating conditions experienced in everyday driving and keeping the engine running in areas with extreme temperature and atmosphere.
Via: PureGreenCars
