Automakers See Green
Small Innovations Add Up
July 29, 2008
By Martha Thomas
Small Innovations Add Up
-
Email This Post
Print this article!
Digg
del.icio.us
Mahalo
StumbleUpon
YahooMyWeb
In the early 1970s my father joked that the ubiquitous Volvos of southern New Hampshire came with factory-installed McGovern stickers. That was a vehicle that seemed to say something about its drivers back then: tweedy professorial types, conservative only when it came to safety. “Global warming” had not yet entered the lexicon, but those Volvo drivers were tree-huggers ahead of their time.
Today such lefty, latte-drinking folks are probably driving the Toyota Prius, the exemplar of the new Earth-conscious vehicles.
Selling “green” is big business. With new mileage standards looming — passenger vehicles must reach a fleet average of 35 miles to the gallon by 2020 — automakers are under pressure to save fuel and cut emissions. There has been discussion of flex fuels, hybrids and diesel (both “clean diesel” and fuels made with cooking oil). And while every manufacturer craves the next big thing — the next Prius — the most efficient way to meet the requirements may be simply to tweak what already exists.
In fact, if you look at some of the new energy-saving automotive technologies, you’ll see that the next big thing is in fact a series of small things.
In March 2007, the Union of Concerned Scientists presented a design for a minivan, the Vanguard, which promised a 43 percent reduction in CO2 emissions plus substantially improved fuel efficiency over current models. The technology required, says Jim Kliesch, a senior engineer at UCS’ clean vehicles program, “is all on the shelf today.” The Vanguard’s innovations required improving the transmission and fuel injection, reducing the load, improving air conditioning and even shifting the position of the engine. Kliesch points out that the transportation sector accounts for 33 percent of global warming emissions in the United States, and that most of those emissions come from cars.
Therese Langer, transportation program director for the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy, says there are many ways to dramatically improve fuel efficiency without dramatically changing vehicles. “People don’t need to imagine little tiny cars,” she says. “There’s substantial potential in the existing fuel combustion engine.”
Automakers are getting on the bandwagon. The Union of Concerned Scientists lists more than 150 vehicles that employ innovations from cylinder deactivation and variable valve timing to six-speed transmissions and turbo-chargers. Some manufacturers, such as Ford with its trademarked “EcoBoost” technology and BMW with its “efficient dynamics,” are using the modifications as selling points. But there are also unheralded changes, such as Mazda’s turning its engine around so that the catalytic converter heats up faster.
Here are three examples of new technologies and vehicles that employ them:
A smaller, turbo-charged engine in the 2008 Mini Cooper S
Let’s back into this one: Kliesch recently took a look at the 2007 minivans on the market. “I counted nine models with faster acceleration times than the Bullitt” — the 1968 Mustang GT 390 muscle car made famous by the actor Steve McQueen. In the last 40 years, carmakers have emphasized performance over fuel efficiency. Now here comes the new Mini with a smaller, turbo-charged engine. If a minivan indeed performs better than Steve McQueen’s power machine, imagine what a vehicle as small and lithe as the BMW-made Mini can do with that engine.
Turbo-charged engines boost acceleration by forcing air into the cylinders with a fan to push the engine. Turbos traditionally required a lot more energy to run and had the reputation of being unreliable.
New-generation turbos like that in the new Mini S are smaller and smarter, and they benefit from sensors that regulate airflow and temperature. This turbo-on-demand means extra power only when you need it.
Not only is the new S engine small, but the latest version boasts an aluminum alloy construction that is substantially lighter than the previous cast-iron block. The new engine also has an on-demand water pump that won’t engage unless the engine actually needs cooling.
Cylinder deactivation in the 2008 Honda Accord 6-cylinder sedan
The V-6 engine automatically seals off cylinders that are not in use, adding one to three miles per gallon. Honda’s Variable Cylinder Management system also dampens cabin noise to compensate for the increased decibels from the engine’s vibration.
Honda spokesman Chris Naughton describes these new technologies as “low hanging fruit” — pretty simple to incorporate. “Incremental fuel economy gains are achievable with modest costs,” he says.
Honda anticipates the introduction of a diesel in 2009, but Naughton is not saying which model or models. (Hint: In Europe, diesel is available in the CR-V, the Accord and the Civic.)
Direct fuel injection in the 2008 Cadillac CTS and 2009 Lincoln MKS
In most combustion engines, each piston stroke allows fuel and air to simultaneously enter the cylinder through the intake manifold; they mix along the way. Direct injection means that air enters the cylinder first and that, at the right time, the correct amount of fuel is injected before the spark is fired. Direct injection’s success depends on timing. High-tech engines make success possible, allowing the engine to work efficiently while using less energy. Hence the powerful feel of Cadillac’s entry-level luxury CTS: Its six cylinders feel like eight.
Lincoln’s luxury sedan will be the first in the Ford line to benefit from the manufacturer’s EcoBoost technology. The basics are turbo charging and direct injection, says Lincoln Mercury communications manager Mark Schirmer, who adds that these innovations translate into a 20 percent improvement in fuel economy and a 15 percent drop in CO2 emissions.
