Mazda petrol 'cleaner than electric' 08 | 08 | 2017

    MAZDA’S GROUNDBREAKING SKYACTIV-X petrol engines will be cleaner than electric cars. That’s the pledge made today by the Japanese car maker which will produce the world’s first efficiency-boosting compression ignition petrol engine.

    Set to replace the current Skyactiv-G range in 2019, the new range of engines, badged Skyactiv-X, will use compression ignition technology previously only used in diesel engines.

    Mazda claims the results improve efficiency by up to 30% over its current petrol units, matching or even improving on the brand’s Skyactiv-D diesel engine range.

    The Japanese company has approached the emissions problem from a 'well-to-wheel' perspective; this accounts for the whole life cycle of a vehicle and the fuel needed to power it.

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    On that basis, Mazda says the new technology will enable Skyactiv-X engines to produce lower carbon dioxide emissions than electric drivetrains over their comparable life cycles.

    Mazda’s compression ignition technology — which, to date, has not been used on a mass production scale in petrol engines — is called Spark Controlled Compression Ignition.

    In technical terms, it mixes petrol and air together in the engine’s cylinder like a regular spark ignition engine, but then ignites it using compression as well as a spark. The result is that only around half the volume of petrol is required for the same combustion level.

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    Mazda is the only car company which is approaching the global emissions problems from a position of highlighting that much of the world’s electricity grids are still powered by fossil fuels.

    That, it believes, means that while electric technology produces no emissions from a car's tailpipe, going down the all-electric route does not represent a truly sustainable option on a global scale.

    The car maker will though begin introducing electric technology into its range from 2019. Significantly, it will only focus sales of these models in regions where sustainable energy is produced.

    Of perhaps greater significance is the fact Mazda has stated it will continue to invest heavily in petrol technology beyond this point.

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    Jim McGill

     

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