Automakers are introducing new hybrids at so fast speed that anyone cant keep up. However, only small percent of these technologies will ever come on road. VW has put small electric compressor to some golfs, to get more power at lower rpms, when turbo isnt effective. Intellegent night-vision, intelligent cruise control and lane deprature warning system are all on the road too. Intelligent cruise control can be in all cars in few years, but lane-deprature warning system may never get popular. Future of night vision is unsure, because how people react to it. Spray-guided direct injection will be on road soon, BMW is itroducing it at 2006 along with regenerative braking and start-stop drive. It will improve fuel effiency to level promised with 1st gen direct injection. Start-stop drive has been on road some years ago, but it didnt sell as much as exepted because too high price/ benefits ratio. Regenerative braking has same problem, but together with spray-guided injection they could improve fuel effiency to make buyers intrested enough to pay higher price. Another itresting technology is Hodas HCCI, which could improve fuel effiency even more. Problem is cotrol combustion (prevent knocing) at high speeds, because combustion cannot controlled either injector or spark plug. I think that only ways control combustion is to change intake air temprature (probably not working) or compression ratio by using same technology as mayflower engine. (too expensive) Because of these problems honda will probably introduce so called mild-HCCI which would run on ultra-lean HCCI mode only below 4000rpm, and would use spark ignition above. This is much more cost effective solution and would still lead to much better fuel economy. Best way would be combining these two technologies, creating Spray-guided mild-HCCI engine with regenerative braking and start-stop drive, which would have better fuel consumption withouth too much costs.

 

Hi Top Ace:

___What are you trying to tell us? The HCCI is a pie in the sky ICE so far. Both Low and High RPM ops have problems. DI has been in the Audi lineup for a year or two and was recently introduced in the 06 Mazda 6. Regen braking better have a relatively large pack to absorb the charge across a number of parallel cel’s vs. a few and if you are running a pack and regen braking, you may as well make it a hybrid since all the pieces and parts are there other then the high current converters and controllers.

___Good Luck

___Wayne R. Gerdes

 

1.First of all, read this

According to the engineers cited in the Journal piece, Honda has been able to clear obstacles to create a prototype four-cylinder HCCI engine that runs smoothly in a low-to-medium speed range.
That, they said, should represent about 65% of the load range necessary to run a gasoline engine properly on the highway. The main challenge left to clear is high speeds, or above 4,000 revolutions per minute, the engineers said. A typical Honda gasoline-fueled engine covers a range reaching 6,000 RPMs.

2.Then look this



current technologies are Wall-guided

3.Yes, making it full-hybrid would futher improve fuel effiency, but as we have realized that technology is still quite expensive. Start-stop drive uses only Starter-alternator which can turn on engine immediadly, not powerful electrical motor.

 

Hi Top Ace:

___Again, you are telling us nothing new. The HCCI news has been posted here and around the web a few hundred times over the past few weeks. Honda is not even close to commercial release so it’s not worth discussing the small details besides what has been publicly released this early on.

___Start-Stop using an MGSet is what most hybrids use already. An alternator is an MGSet with a few less capabilities. That capability of not being able to propel or assist the car’s acceleration (for very long or much above crawling speed) as well as absorb braking via regen to change kinetic energy back to chemical energy in the larger pack/battery. The GM based BAS will at least allow Regen but I am not yet sure how far the engineers were allowed to take it?

___Good Luck

___Wayne R. Gerdes