Automotive Motor Engine

Fuel-Saving technology is not fully understood by drivers

More car shoppers might consider buying hybrid vehicles if only they understood them better. At least this is among the findings of a recent survey sponsored by auto industry component and systems supplier Johnson Controls.

Results of the study suggest U.S. consumers’ confusion about the range of approaches car makers use to boost fuel economy is keeping many from ever considering hybrids.

“It’s clear that consumers are confused about their options for more fuel-efficient vehicles, despite their desire to save on fuel costs,” said Alex Molinaroli, president of Power Solutions for Johnson Controls. “These findings indicate U.S. drivers need to have a better understanding of the offerings available to them now as well as options that will become available in the U.S. market.” (more…)

Reprogramming ECU to save fuel

ECO Re-Programming

We are responsible for the fuel we burn. Fitting Fuelsaver to your vehicles will reduce your fuel use and bills by 14.5-18% – saving you money whilst helping the environment.

How it works

All modern vehicles use sophisticated electronic control units (ECU) to manage every aspect of the operation of the vehicle. ECUs controlling the engine determine all important aspects of the internal combustion process.  In doing so it is trying to optimise the engine’s efficiency under any given set of conditions—hot, cold, heavy load, driver style, altitude and importantly, fuel quality.

This optimisation is however often a compromise; where the manufacturer is balancing the needs of the world market they are supplying, against the varying factors the vehicle may encounter. (more…)

Technology applied on transmission

Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT)

Most conventional transmission systems control the ratio between engine speed and wheel speed using a fixed number of metal gears.

Rather than using gears, the CVTs use a pair of variable-diameter pulleys connected by a belt or chain that can produce an infinite number of engine/wheel speed ratios. Advantages include

• Seamless acceleration without the jerk or jolt from changing gears
• No frequent downshifting or “gear hunting” on hills
• Better fuel efficiency

Automated Manual Transmission (AMT)

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Get the right motor oil of the cars

It might seem simple to pick engine oil for your car. You just look for the starburst symbol that indicates the oil has been tested and meets the standards of the American Petroleum Institute (API). In addition, there’s a 2-character service designation on the container. API’s latest service standard is “SL.” SL refers to a group of laboratory and engine tests, including the latest series for control of high-temperature deposits. Your third task is to pick the viscosity (thickness) that’s suitable for the temperatures your vehicle normally operates in (check your owners manual), and you’re done. Well, not quite. There’s a whole lot more to the story than that.These are the labels you’ll find on every container of reputable motor oil. The API donut on the right tells you if the oil meets the current SL service rating (C for diesel engines). It also provides the SAE (Society of Automotive Engineers) viscosity number and tells you if the oil has passed the Energy Conserving test. The starburst symbol on the left indicates that the oil has passed the tests listed for SL service.

Is oil really the lifeblood of an engine? That’s a long-popular analogy, but it’s really not an accurate description. Blood carries nutrients to cells, but it’s air that carries fuel–the “nutrition”–for an engine. However, without oil to lubricate and cool moving parts, keep them clean and help to seal the pistons in the cylinders, the engine would run for only a matter of seconds–then sieze. So, yes, oil is important. (more…)

Six upcoming fuel-saving technologies

Carmakers across the globe are already adapting their R&D to hit the new 35-mpg law by 2020–and now the Department of Transportation wants to speed up the fuel-economy boost by five years. Sure, we’ll see plenty of hybrids, some plug-ins and even a few new clean-diesel rides. But as our video tour of GM’s HCCI lab for Future Car Week demonstrates, the focus will likely remain on gasoline engines.

So expect upgrades such as variable intake and exhaust valve timing, reduced engine friction, turbocharging with direct fuel injection, and light-load cylinder deactivation. Engines are also expected to downsize in order to save fuel, with more six-, seven- and eight-speed transmissions on the way, too–not to mention low-rolling-resistance tires and improved aerodynamics.

To drive a little further in the green direction–and still keep costs within reason–here are a half-dozen future engine technologies we saw at this month’s exclusive SAE World Congress that, if put into production, could boost the fuel economy of our next generation of gas-powered cars. (more…)

Explanation about technology applied in engine

Variable Valve Timing & Lift (VVT&L)

Also called variable valve actuation (VVT), variable-cam timing and variable valve timing and lift electronic control (VTEC®)

Valves control the flow of air and fuel, into the cylinders and exhaust out of them. When and how long the valves open (timing) and how much the valves move (lift) both affect engine efficiency.

Optimum timing and lift settings are different for high and low engine speeds. Traditional designs, however, use fixed timing and lift settings, which are a compromise between the optimum for high and low speeds. VVT&L systems automatically alter timing and lift to the optimum settings for the engine speed. (more…)

Five technology for fuel saving

The 100th anniversary of the Ford Model T is coming up. The fundamentals of the car, including the internal combustion engines that power most of them, have changed very little as far as their basic operations are concerned. An explosion happens in a cylinder, forcing a piston downward, that in turn spins a crankshaft mated to a transmission that spins a driveshaft that turns the wheels.

This is not to say advancement has not been drastic. Four-cylinder engines have gone from making 20 horsepower to more than 250—all while being more efficient and cleaner. New engine designs and advanced technologies make this possible, but all the technobabble can make things more than a little confusing for many folks. How are you supposed to know what a salesman means when he says the car he is trying to put you in is a direct-injected, turbocharged inline-four with variable valve timing, or has a clean diesel, or is capable of variable displacement?

Automobiles are hugely complex machines when viewed as a whole, but individual systems and parts are often governed by a few relatively simple principles. If you take your time and don’t allow yourself to get intimidated, you might be surprised by what you can understand. (more…)