Mazda Motor Corp has just announced its latest breakthrough in developing a new type of combustion engine that seemingly marries the benefits of both a gasoline and a diesel engine. The announcement was made just today with the company claiming that it has now achieved a commercially-viable prototype of an engine technology that its rivals have been working on for decades.
New approach
The company's homogeneous charge compression ignition (HCCI) engine, which it will be naming its new Skyactiv-X engine, basically ignites gasoline within the Combustion Chamber by using extreme compression.
The ignition method is similar to how diesel engines ignite their fuel.
The end result is a much cleaner and more powerful engine that does not emit large quantities of particles and nitrogen oxides.
Another benefit of the new technology is the elimination of spark plugs and an extremely high-fuel economy that matches that of modern diesel engines.
Better engine
According to Mazda, the new compression ignition engine will yield 20 to 30 percent more fuel efficiency when compared to its currently available petrol engines. Companies like General Motors and Daimler AG have been trying to develop the same technology for the past few years, but none of the companies have come close to developing a commercially-viable product.
Mazda claims that its research and development department was able to build the engine at a fraction of the budget that its peers have shelled out over the past few years.
Exclusive technology
Mazda's R&D head Kiyoshi Fujiwara told reporters at a press conference that despite the shift towards electric vehicles, developing better combustion engines is still a top priority for the company.
The company also revealed that they have no plans of supplying the unique engine to any other vehicle manufacturers and that they would only be equipping their own products with it in the future. Mazda apparently plans to sell new cars with the new engine sometime in 2019.
Alongside its new combustion engine, Mazda also plans to develop different electric vehicles and electric engines, which it will be introducing in the coming years.
The electric vehicles will be sent to markets that currently restrict the sale of certain traditional vehicles. Similar to Tesla and other electric vehicle manufacturers, Mazda also revealed plans to develop its own autonomous-driving technology, which it plans to offer as a standard on all its vehicles by 2025.
