Japanese automakers including Toyota, Honda, Mazda, Nissan, Subaru, Mitsubishi, Suzuki and Daihatsu have announced an alliance to seek ways of improving fuel economy from both petrol-powered and diesel-powered engines by as much as 30% before the end of the 2020, reports Automotive news.
The newly assembled Research Association of Automotive Internal Combustion Engines put the roughly $20-million project together, with the Japanese government committing to half the cost while the 8 manufacturers will bear the rest of the cost.
The automakers will team up and share basic research on internal-combustion engines with the aim of cutting costs. Eventually, the results of the research will find its way into a production vehicle, although it’s still unclear when we’ll see the fruits of this partnership on the road.
While the manufacturers have aimed to make improvements by 2020, that goal is part of a larger, 10-year road map, which aims to improve the thermal efficiency of internal combustion engines to 50%. Currently, thermal efficiency in petrol engines is at 39% while diesel is at 42%.
The actual targets of improvements will be quite different based on the type of engine. For instance, Diesel mill will see a focus on reducing NOX emissions and particulate matter, while petrol engines will aim for more complete combustion cycles while reducing knock.
Source: Automotive News
