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Lasers to replace sparkplugs in the future?

July 22, 2009 at 5:52 am By Paul Tan Filed Under Cars, Technology, Videos

Laser Spark
Sparkplug (bottom) versus optical laser plug (top)

A Ford that shoots laser beams? No, we’re not talking about James Bond’s next Ford Fusion. Nor are we talking about Ford bringing back the Laser nameplate. Ford and the University of Liverpool have just received a £200,000 grant from UK government-funded Carbon Trust to develop a car ignition system that uses laser beams instead of spark plugs to ignite combustion.

A laser (that can be fired over 50 times per second) is directed through a lense towards a point in the combustion chamber where the fuel is most concentrated. It could also be split into multiple beams to give multiple ignition points.

Using a laser could result in better use of cylinder head space as the fiber optic cable that can be used to deliver this laser beam is much thinner than a relatively big spark plug. This will allow more space in the head to be used for other things such as larger valves. However, apparently tests showed that fiber optic cables were too affected by vibration in the engine bay, so the best would be via an “optical plug”.

If you want to read more about laser ignition, it’s best to hear it from the horse’s mouth themselves. Read the report by the University of Liverpool. Watch a video after the jump comparing a conventional spark with laser ignition.
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US Government loans Ford US$ 5.9 billion to develop fuel-saving technologies

June 24, 2009 at 10:56 am By Harvinder Sidhu Filed Under Cars, Ford, Hybrids and Alternative Fuel, International News, Technology

The US Government has loaned US$ 5.9 billion to Ford, for the development of fuel-saving technologies including hybrid-electric systems, alternative-fuel power plants, direct-injection as well as other developments that are related to help reduce fuel consumption such as dual clutch transmissions, vehicle weight reduction and aerodynamic efficiency.

On that note, Ford has revealed more information about its electric car programs. First on the list, is a ‘pure battery electric’, or (BEV) Transit Connect commercial van that would be introduced next year. Ford will be working hand in hand with Smith Electric U.S on the development of the electric Transit.

Next on the list is something that is more interesting, which is the production of a BEV Focus. The emissions-free Focus would be co-developed with Magna, and can hit the streets by 2011. Both the BEV Transit Connect and BEC Focus are expected to deliver up to anywhere between 160 and 257 kilometers in terms of driving range.

Ford’s CEO Alan Mulally revealed, “This green partnership between Ford and the U.S. Government will help accelerate the development of advanced technologies for even better fuel efficiency and emissions. Ford is absolutely committed to fuel economy leadership with every new model we introduce. In fact, we plan to invest nearly $14 billion in advanced technology vehicles in the next seven years.”

FoMoCo will also work on plug-in hybrid vehicles (PHEV) as well as “next generation” hybrid electric vehicles (HEV). Both the PHEV and the HEV could be introduced by 2012.

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Mercedes-Benz ESF 2009 Safety Innovations

June 13, 2009 at 8:24 pm By Paul Tan Filed Under Cars, Mercedes Benz, Technology

Braking Bag

Full details and photos of the new Mercedes-Benz ESF 2009 research vehicle have been unveiled. Based on the S 400 HYBRID, the Mercedes-Benz ESF 2009 essentially features 5 key new safety elements which are the following:

  • PRE-SAFE Structure – The inflatable metal structures save weight or increase the stability of structural components. When at rest, the metal section is in a folded state to save space. If its protective effect is required, a gas generator builds up an internal pressure of 10 to 20 bar within fractions of a second, causing the section to unfold for significantly more stability.
  • Braking Bag – If the car’s sensor system concludes that an impact is unavoidable, the Braking Bag located under the car is deployed shortly before the crash and stabilises the car on the road surface by means of a friction coating. The vehicle’s vertical acceleration increases the friction, and helps to decelerate the vehicle before the impact occurs.
  • Interactive Vehicle Communication – The ESF 2009 is able to communicate directly with other vehicles, or via relay stations. Using “ad hoc” networks and Wi-Fi radio technology, it is e.g. able to receive and transmit warnings of bad weather or obstacles in the road.
  • PRE-SAFE Pulse – It reduces the forces acting on the torsos of the occupants during a lateral collision by around one third. It does this by moving them towards the center of the vehicle by up to 50mm as a precautionary measure. As an active restraint system, it uses the air chambers in the side bolsters of the seat backrests.
  • Spotlight lighting function – This partial LED main beam specifically illuminates potential hazards. If the infrared camera of Night View Assist PLUS e.g. detects animals like deer at the roadside or pedestrians on the road, these can be briefly illuminated beyond the normal area covered by the main beams, as if by a spotlight.

Look after the jump for full descriptions of the various technology.
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Preview: Mercedes ESF 2009 Safety Concept

June 10, 2009 at 3:31 pm By Paul Tan Filed Under Cars, International News, Mercedes Benz, Technology

ESF

Mercedes-Benz has taken the new W221 Mercedes-Benz S400 Hybrid and modified it with experimental safety features. The new testbed is called the ESF 2009 Experimental Safety Vehicle.

The features are quite interesting – inflatable metal structures consisting of side impact bars that can be blown to pressure of between 10 to 20 bar, an “airbag brake” which is located below the car and inflates to create friction with the road to help reduce speed and raise the car up by 80mm to compensate for brake dive, seat bolsters that shift the passengers 50mm into the center of the cabin to reduce injuries from side impacts, and even seatbelts installed inside the airbags.

These are just a preview – the full press release has yet to be unveiled by Daimler. Stay tuned for full details on these experimental safety features.
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BMW Emergency Stop Assistant brings your car to a stop if you can’t drive it

June 10, 2009 at 11:05 am By Paul Tan Filed Under BMW, Cars, Technology

Old Man

BMW’s Emergency Stop Assistant project is part of The German Federal Ministry of Education and Research’s SmartSenior program, which aims to develop intelligent services to make the lives of senior citizens easier and safer. BMW’s system is of course designed to make it safer for senior citizens to drive.

As you know, as we get older more and more health problems start to appear. Some older people may develop intermittent cardiovascular problems, and this may also apply to young people if they are unlucky or live an unhealthy lifestyle. What if you get a heart attack while driving, something that really might just happen considering the kind of traffic and bandits you have to deal with on Malaysian roads on a daily basis.

The BMW Emergency Stop Assistant system automatically activates an autonomous driving mode when it detects that the driver has a serious medical problem (through the use of driver vital sensors), and carries out a controlled emergency stop. It uses sensors around the car to detect the traffic around it to maneuver carefully to the outer edge of the road with the hazard lights on before stopping. BMW ConnectedDrive then performs and emergency call for medical and traffic assistance.

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New BMW N55 single turbo Valvetronic engine

May 27, 2009 at 3:20 am By Paul Tan Filed Under BMW, Cars, Technology

N55B30

BMW’s new N55 engine family’s 306 horsepower and 400Nm power and torque output figures reminds us of the original moment when BMW first announced it was bringing back forced induction into the BMW engine line-up. The N54 engine was factory rated to put out that exact same amount, and it did that via the use of gasoline direct injection and two turbochargers running together, fed gas from three cylinders each.

Three years later, we still have 306 horsepower and 400Nm of torque, but BMW has achieved it using only one turbocharger instead of two. The new N55B30 engine also churns out peak boost and torque faster than the N54, with 400Nm hit at the 1,200rpm point instead of the N54B30′s 1,3000rpm mark.

N55B30

The single turbocharger uses twin scroll technology. A twin scroll turbine housing uses dual side by side exhaust gas inlets into the housing, fed by two sources of exhaust pulses. A single path is also not able to take advantage of all the exhaust gas pulses effectively. Since there are two passages, each has a smaller overall volume than a single scroll turbo path, thus the exhaust velocity of each pulse can be maintained.

The N55B30 is not the first BMW engine to use a twin scroll turbocharger, as the BMW Prince engine in the MINI Cooper S also uses one. In the Cooper S, the turbocharger’s twin-scroll principle is fed by two sets of two cylinders each, while in this N55 inline-6 engine it is two groups of 3 cylinders each.

The N54 did not feature Valvetronic because in a turbocharged engine, throttle losses can be countered by the positive pressure of the turbocharged air being blown into the engine. But the main reason there was no Valvetronic is because the complexity of designing a cylinder head that could fit Valvetronic mechanisms as well as direct injection. It is because of this reason that the N53 normally aspirated direct injection engines also do not feature Valvetronic.

N55B30

BMW engineers probably finally managed to cram all that technology into the engine and make it possible for them to work all together. The new N55B30 has both a new generation Valvetronic variable valve management system and High Pressure Injection (direct injection at up to 200 bar). Valvetronic replaces the throttle butterfly functions with a control unit infinitely varying the valve stroke on the intake valves. This means the intake is not obstructed by a partially closed throttle during low load operations. The new N55 also features a map-controlled oil pump which takes up less energy, which BMW says is a first in a turbocharged engine.

One of the variations of the Volkswagen EA888 engine also features variable valve management combined with direct injection but the EA888′s valvelift system is only fitted on the exhaust valves of the engine and works in two stages – a high cam and a low cam, unlike Valvetronic which is continuously variable.

Fitted in the newly unveiled BMW 535i GT, the new N55B30 engine takes the machine from 0 to 100km/h in just 6.3 seconds, up to a top speed of 250km/h.

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Another first for Toyota: a rear center airbag!

March 26, 2009 at 4:36 pm By Paul Tan Filed Under Cars, International News, Technology, Toyota

Toyota Rear Center Airbag

In a car crash we have side airbags for side impacts but in cases where there are two or more passengers in the rear, they can end up hitting each other. Toyota’s solution for this is a new rear-seat center airbag which deploys between the rear passenger seats. It is fitted in a fixed rear-seat center console, and will debut in a production Toyota soon. Another first in the world of airbags for Toyota recently was the Toyota iQ’s rear curtain airbag, necessary because the rear passengers are so near the rear window.

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Fiat reveals a new engine technology: MultiAir

March 10, 2009 at 9:56 am By Harvinder Sidhu Filed Under Cars, Fiat, Technology, Videos

Fiat has revealed a new engine technology called the MultiAir technology which significantly reduces emissions, while improving fuel economy and power delivery. This rather complicated electro-hydraulic variable valve actuation technology is implemented to the intake system. A piston is connected to the intake valve via a hydraulic chamber, which is controlled by a solenoid valve. The movement of this piston is controlled by a mechanical intake camshaft.

When the solenoid valve is closed, the oil in the hydraulic chamber behaves like a solid body and transmits the lift schedule to the intake valves. The lift schedule is imposed by the mechanical intake camshaft. When the solenoid valve is open on the other hand, the hydraulic chamber and the intake valves are de-coupled; the intake valves do not follow the intake camshaft anymore and close under the valve spring action.

The final part of the valve closing stroke is controlled by a dedicated hydraulic brake, to ensure a soft and regular landing phase in any engine operating conditions. Through solenoid valve opening and closing time control, a wide range of optimum intake valve opening schedules can be easily obtained. Continue reading to view more images and to watch a video.
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Lotus Omnivore 2-stroke concept engine set for Geneva debut

February 26, 2009 at 5:49 am By Paul Tan Filed Under Cars, Concept Cars, International News, Technology

Lotus Omnivore

Lotus has revealed some details about the Lotus Omnivore engine concept that it will be unveiling at the 2009 Geneva Motor Show. The Omnivore runs on a two-stroke operating cycle that Lotus says is more suited to flex-fuel operations than conventional 4-stroke engines. It also has direct fuel injection, a system called Orbital FlexDI that allows fine-tuning the injection spray to help with HCCI (sparkless ignition) control. The engine uses a monoblock design that combines the block and head, thus eliminating the cylinder head gasket. This improves durability and reduces weight. The exhaust port has a charge trapping valve that allows assymetrical exhaust flow timing and a continuously variable exhaust opening point. A puck at the top of the combustion chamber moves up and down to alter the geometric compression, thus achieving variable compression ratio.

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