As suggested in 2018, (earlier post) the 2021 Jeep Gladiator is now available with the 3.0-liter EcoDiesel V-6 engine. The expected fuel economy ratings will deliver the highest driving range on one tank of fuel yet for Gladiator. The new 3.0-liter EcoDiesel V-6 engine, rated at 260 horsepower and 442... Read more →

LEVC (London Electric Vehicle Company) is launching the VN5, its new electric light commercial van. Available to order now, first VN5 deliveries will commence in RHD form in Q4, with LHD models available from March 2021. Based on the same architecture and proven eCity range-extender technology as LEVC’s TX electric... Read more →

Norsepower Oy Ltd., the leading global provider of auxiliary wind propulsion systems, and SEA-CARGO, leading logistics provider in the North Sea market, announced an agreement to install two of Norsepower’s largest Rotor Sails (earlier post) on board the SC Connector, a sidedoor Ro-Ro. The agreement also marks the installation of... Read more →

BASF is launching an engineering plastic that is particularly suited for automotive parts that come into contact with hot oil. The new polyethersulfone (PESU) Ultrason E0510 C2TR shows very good tribological properties, high oil resistance and excellent dimensional stability also with broad ranges of temperature fluctuations. The injection-molding grade with... Read more →

Ricardo North America (Ricardo), engineering specialists in advanced propulsion, software and thermal management, has added to its powertrain design and development expertise with the launch of a team in Southern California and a partnership with opposed-piston engine developer Achates Power. The announcement follows Ricardo’s recent partnership agreement with Excel Engineering... Read more →

Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. and Sunwoda Electric Vehicle Battery Co., Ltd. will begin studying joint development of next-generation vehicle batteries for Nissan’s e-POWER vehicles. (Earlier post.) The two companies will also discuss the development of an efficient production system to ensure stable supply capacity for jointly developed batteries. Nissan and... Read more →

Mercedes-AMG is moving ahead with electrification through innovative developments while also benefiting from motorsport know-how. An electric exhaust gas turbocharger, which in future will be used for the first time in a series production model, is already in the final stages of development. Developed in partnership with Garrett Motion, this... Read more →

UK-based ULEMCo has worked with Yorkshire Water to produce what is believed to be the first water tanker anywhere to operate on hydrogen fuel. The new 7.5 tonne bowser has been converted from a standard truck to use hydrogen dual fuel, an approach that allows fleet managers to transition more... Read more →

Scientists, engineers, and analysts with the US Department of Energy’s Co-Optimization of Fuels & Engines (Co-Optima) initiative are examining how simultaneous improvements to fuels and engines can improve efficiency and reduce emissions and costs for the entire on-road fleet, including light-duty (LD), medium-duty (MD), and heavy-duty (HD) internal combustion vehicles... Read more →

Ricardo Inc., the North American operating arm of UK-based Ricardo plc and specialists in advanced propulsion, software and thermal management, signed an agreement to partner with Iowa-based Excel Engineering, which includes the sale of Ricardo’s Michigan engine testing and prototype facility. The agreement allows Ricardo, with offices in Detroit, Chicago,... Read more →

Researchers at KAUST’s Clean Combustion Research Center have developed a method to predict and to avoid undesirable combustion events in advanced engines, such as knocking and super-knock. In a recent study, published in the journal Combustion and Flame, they report that their predictions implicate the composition and temperature of the... Read more →

WinGD (Winterthur Gas & Diesel) has received type approval for the biggest and most powerful LNG-fueled engines yet built. Class society Bureau Veritas awarded the approval for WinGD’s dual-fueled 12X92DF engines, the first series of which is currently being built by China State Shipbuilding Corp (CSSC) and will power nine... Read more →

Southwest Research Institute engineers have developed the next generation of clean diesel engine technology to reduce hazardous nitrogen oxides (NOx) and carbon dioxide emissions while minimizing fuel consumption. Working with regulatory agencies, vehicle manufacturers and suppliers, SwRI combined engine modifications with integrated aftertreatment technology and control strategies to reach near-zero... Read more →

Researchers at the US Department of Energy’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) have developed an onboard separation system that could support increased fuel economy and lower greenhouse gas emissions as part of an octane-on-demand fuel-delivery system. A paper on the team’s exploratory research, which was supported under the DOE’s Co-Optima... Read more →

The VW diesel scandal began on 18 September 2015. On the opening day of the Frankfurt International Motor Show (IAA), the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published a Notice of Violation: VW diesel engines with 1.6 and 2.0 liters displacement (type code EA 189) contained illegal software designed to manipulate... Read more →

A team of researchers at the Institute of Technological Sciences at Wuhan University has demonstrated a prototype design of a propulsion thruster that utilizes air plasma induced by microwave ionization. Such a jet engine simply uses only air and electricity to produce high temperature and pressurized plasma for jet propulsion.... Read more →

The technology group Wärtsilä is developing the combustion process in its gas engines to enable them to burn 100% hydrogen fuel. Wärtsilä has researched hydrogen as a fuel for 20 years, and has tested its engines with blends of up to 60% hydrogen and 40% natural gas. This development is... Read more →

A team from the University of Central Florida (UCF) and the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) has demonstrated continuous detonation in a rotating detonation rocket engine (RDRE) (earlier post) powered by H2/O2 propellants. The results show continuous five-wave co-rotating detonations at various equivalence ratios and flow rates demonstrating the potential... Read more →

ARPA-E announced up to $28 million in funding (DE-FOA-0002337) for a new program, ULtrahigh Temperature Impervious Materials Advancing Turbine Efficiency (ULTIMATE). The ULTIMATE program will develop and demonstrate ultrahigh-temperature materials that can operate in high temperature and high stress environments of a gas turbine blade. Projects will specifically target gas... Read more →

Researchers from Saudi Aramco and KAUST (King Abdullah University of Science and Technology), with a colleague from Shanghai Jiao Tong University in China, assessed the effects of adopting 4 hybrid architectures on the life-cycle GHG emissions of a novel high-reactivity fuel in an advanced compression-ignition engine (GCI). Their paper appears... Read more →

Cummins Inc. and Tula Technology, Inc., developer of Dynamic Skip Fire cylinder deactivation technology (earlier post), collaborated on a significant technical demonstration of diesel Dynamic Skip Fire (dDSF) cylinder deactivation. By using dDSF software to control cylinder deactivation in a diesel engine, Cummins and Tula demonstrated significant reductions in emissions... Read more →

MAN Energy Solutions has won the order to supply six MAN B&W 9S50ME-C9.6 Tier II-compliant main engines for three 238-meter hybrid RoRo vessels intended for operation in the Baltic Sea. The customer is Finnlines, the Finnish shipping company and part of the Grimaldi Group. The vessels will have a cargo... Read more →

In a three-year Business Finland BioFlex project, VTT—the Finnish state-owned research agency—and partners are exploring how suitable fuel oils made from biomass and waste plastics are for power plants and ship diesel engines. The aim is to determine the most ecologically and economically sustainable way to replace fossil fuels. We... Read more →

The all-new SEAT Leon offers five different powertrain technologies: gasoline (TSI); diesel (TDI); mild-hybrid (eTSI); plug-in hybrid (eHybrid); and compressed natural gas (TGI). SEAT is a member of the Volkswagen Group. In total, there are eleven different mechanical variants, with power outputs ranging from 90 PS with the 1.0 TSI... Read more →

For the past four years, the Co-Optimization of Fuels & Engines (Co-Optima) National Laboratory consortium has focused research efforts primarily on turbocharged (boosted) spark-ignition (SI) engines for light-duty vehicles. This research involves identifying the fuel properties and engine parameters that mitigate knock and emissions, while maximizing boosted SI efficiency and... Read more →

Brought to the US market for the first time in the 2020 Audi S6 and S7, Audi’s Electric-Powered Compressor (EPC) comes paired to the 2.9-liter, twin-turbocharged TFSI V6 engine. It consists of an electric motor with a small turbine that helps quickly build turbo boost pressure, sharpening throttle response and... Read more →

The technology group Wärtsilä has initiated combustion trials using ammonia. The research will help the company to prepare for the use of ammonia as a fuel that can contribute to reducing both the shipping’s and energy sectors’ greenhouse gas emissions. (Earlier post.) As part of the tests, ammonia was injected... Read more →

DEUTZ presented its latest developments in the field of sustainable off-highway drive systems at CONEXPO in Las Vegas. (The show, originally scheduled to run from 10-14 March, closed one day early as concern over the COVID-19 outbreak began to mount). DEUTZ combines diesel, gas, hybrid, electric and hydrogen technologies to... Read more →

In Frankfurt, Kia unveiled the new Sorento, the fourth generation of its mid-size SUV, including for the first time a hybrid option. Sorento is at the heart of Kia’s reinvigorated global SUV line-up, which also includes the Seltos, Stonic, Telluride and Sportage. The Sorento’s evolution over the last 18 years... Read more →

Vitesco Technologies, formerly (until September 2019) the Continental Powertrain Division, has won a major contract from an European vehicle manufacturer for the supply of innovative electric heating elements for diesel catalytic converters. This EMICAT brand e-catalyst technology will be used in two of the manufacturer’s 48-volt hybrid van models. Start... Read more →

Rolls-Royce and ASI Mining have agreed to ensure compatibility of MTU engines and ASI’s Mobius command and control software for autonomous vehicles. The two partners have signed a Memorandum of Understanding enabling Rolls-Royce to offer autonomous-compatible, Mobius-ready MTU engine solutions for equipment in a wide range of mining applications. With... Read more →

Power management company Eaton has expanded its portfolio of valvetrain solutions for diesel off-highway vehicles to help OEMs reduce emissions and improve fuel economy. Eaton’s new technology allows for cost-effective, variable valve actuation with hydraulic lash adjustment (HLA) function. This technology enables precise valve lift control through HLA, coupled with... Read more →

The technology group Wärtsilä, together with a consortium of six other industry and academic partners, has been awarded EU funding for a major project aimed at reducing fuel consumption and lowering emission levels for shipping. The SeaTech project consortium has been formed to develop two symbiotic ship engine and propulsion... Read more →

FCA will invest $400 million to repurpose an idled transmission plant in Kokomo, Ind., to build the GMET4 engine—the Company’s 2.0-liter Global Medium Engine inline four-cylinder turbo that is currently offered on the Jeep Wrangler and Jeep Cherokee. The 2.0-liter turbocharged I-4 engine is part of FCA’s Global Medium Engine... Read more →

An innovative new material from Tenneco Inc.’s Powertrain business group delivers wear-resistant performance with greatly reduced cobalt content, helping engine manufacturers mitigate the limited availability and price volatility of cobalt. Micro structure (x500) of Tenneco’s newly developed sintered steel material FM-t88A with 17% cobalt content. © 2020 Tenneco Inc. Demanding... Read more →

For the first time, some US Postal Service packages are being delivered via emission-reducing propane autogas trucks. McAbee Trucking, a freight shipping and trucking company based in Blacksburg, SC, purchased eight Ford F-750 delivery trucks fueled by propane autogas, a domestically produced, clean and economical alternative fuel. The vehicles are... Read more →

Volkswagen unveiled the new eight-generation Golf GTI, the Golf GTD and the Golf GTE plug-in hybrid via a live stream event, in place of the cancelled Geneva International Motor Show. GTI. The new Golf GTI is powered by a 180 kW (245 PS) 2.0-liter turbocharged direct injection engine (EA888 evo4).... Read more →

In the US, Model Year (MY) 2018 vehicle fuel economy was 25.1 miles per gallon, 0.8% higher than the 24.9 miles per gallon MY 2017, according to the annual Automotive Trends Report released by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). In model year 2018, the average estimated real-world CO2 emission... Read more →

The Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate, and Masten Space Systems Inc. successfully tested a liquid methane rocket engine, the first of its kind tested at AFRL. The Masten 25k lbf thrust Broadsword rocket engine. (Masten Space Systems photo/Matthew Kuhns) The M10A Broadsword is a LOX/LCH4... Read more →

Belgium-based Punch Group has acquired GM’s propulsion engineering center in Turin, Italy. The transaction between the two companies includes an engineering services agreement (ESA) to support GM’s global product programs through the end of 2021. Since 2005, Turin has served as a global center of excellence for diesel propulsion systems... Read more →

SuperTurbo Technologies Inc. (formerly VanDyne SuperTurbo) has appointed Ricardo Performance Products to support the first phase of commercial industrialization of the SuperTurbo system—a novel planetary traction drive that enables high speed power transfer to and from a turbocharger shaft, offering significant driveability and fuel efficiency benefits for large trucks. The... Read more →

The US Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Co-Optima initiative is overseeing a Directed Funding Opportunity (DFO) to apply the unique, world-class capabilities of the consortium toward addressing specific challenges identified by applicants from industry and academia. The Co-Optimization of Fuels & Engines (Co-Optima) National Laboratory consortium is jointly sponsored by the... Read more →

Kia Motors Corporation revealed details of the next-generation Sorento’s new platform and powertrains. The new Sorento will make its public debut at the upcoming 2020 Geneva International Motor Show. The latest Sorento will be the first SUV to be based on Kia’s new platform when production commences later this year.... Read more →

California’s South Coast Air Quality Management District’s (South Coast AQMD) Clean Fuel Funds and Southern California Gas Company (SoCalGas) have awarded a combined $600,000 ($300,000 each) to Landi Renzo USA for Landi Renzo’s 7.3L Near-Zero natural gas engine development program, which covers Class 4-7 vehicles. Landi Renzo USA is the... Read more →

The BMW X5 and the BMW X6 now also offer 48V mild-hybrid technology to optimize the spontaneous power delivery and effectiveness of the drive system. From May 2020, the new BMW X5 xDrive40d (combined fuel consumption: 6.4 – 5.9 l/100 km; combined CO2 emissions: 167 – 154 g/km) and the... Read more →

[In the earlier version of this post, I mistakenly linked to and used the 2019 report rather than the current 2020 report. I apologize for the error. —Ed] The Manufacturers of Emission Controls Association (MECA) released a new report—“Technology Feasibility for Heavy-Duty Diesel Trucks in Achieving 90% Lower NOx Standards... Read more →

Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) has received a five-year, $25-million contract from the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to provide testing and analytical services related to vehicle emissions and fuel efficiency. SwRI will conduct emissions characterization and technology assessment under the “Testing and Analytical Services for Regulation of Motor Vehicles, Engines,... Read more →

SEAT presented at its Martorell facilities the all-new SEAT Leon compact. The company, a member of the Volkswagen Group, has invested more than €1.1 billion in fourth generation of the Leon to bring it to market with more efficient engines, next levels of connectivity and driving assistance, dynamism and eye-catching... Read more →

BorgWarner Inc. and Delphi Technologies PLC have entered into a definitive transaction agreement under which BorgWarner will acquire Delphi Technologies in an all-stock transaction that values Delphi Technologies’ enterprise value at approximately $3.3 billion. The acquisition would strengthen BorgWarner’s power electronics products, capabilities and scale. Combining with Delphi Technologies is... Read more →

The gasoline direct injection (GDI) engine is one of the most prominent technologies car manufacturers adopted to achieve the fuel economy and carbon dioxide emission goals established in 2012 by the US Environmental Protection Agency. The market share of GDI-equipped vehicles increased from 2.3% in model year 2008 to 51%... Read more →