VW working on internal combustion 2.0
by Dan Roth on Dec 16th 2006 at 1:21PM 
Picture this: we're no longer beholden to energy resources from unstable regions and we're no longer burning petroleum-based fuels in our cars. Despite the radical change in fuels, engines are largely the same, as is the fuelling infrastructure. While it sounds like a nice dream, Volkswagen has been hard at work making it reality. They've combined aspects of diesel and gasoline engines into their Combined Combustion System, realizing efficiency gains and emissions reductions.
Using Bosch piezo injectors that operate like those in diesel engines, providing multiple squirts of fuel directly into the cylinder prior to top dead center and after ignition, the CCS engine can achieve a long burn while keeping cylinder temperatures and pressure at bay. Holding the cylinder temps down also reduces oxides of nitrogen in the exhaust, the main problem with lean-burning engines' emissions. VW also has plans to use this engine technology as part of a hybrid drivetrain.
The most exciting part of the whole project is the new fuel that Volkswagen co-developed with German firm Choren Industries. The new fuel is synthetic and based on a combination of planted crops, bio-degradeable trash and waste from forest industries. That's right, it runs on trash, gets better mileage, doesn't pay a power penalty, can be filled up from conventional-style pumps and doesn't help fund unstable tinhorns. Put that in your tank and burn it!
More pictures after the jump
[Source: Autocar]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
epp_b 1:41PM (12/16/2006)
Sounds interesting. Why the funny new look? What's different about it, mechanically?
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Paul 1:47PM (12/16/2006)
That's really sweet. Way to go, VW. If they can implement this across the board, that will solve so many problems.
However, it does depend if they can make the engines and the fuel affordable, as well as how much fuel these engines will burn.
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MikeW 1:55PM (12/16/2006)
Is that the VR8 Jetta RSi, wink nod.
No it is some sort of heat exchanger.
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GhostDoggy 1:51PM (12/16/2006)
I'll wait for combustion 2.5, or better yet 3.0 when they throw a Mr Fusion under the hood of my next car. Then I can truly get rid of my household trash and not pay someone to pick it up every week while saving me trips to the gas, ahem petrochemical, refill station.
Oh wait, I was dreaming again.
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daniel 2:19PM (12/16/2006)
Interesting... What do you think the oil companies will do to stop it? They're the ones cock blocking any new technologies that render them unnecessary.
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nagmashot 2:34PM (12/16/2006)
The engine is a 4cyl...build up on current generation 2.0l TDI... the wired looking thing on top of it is the intake housing...
http://media.autobild.de/bild/0/58e3955d5a366dd0f664e179657936b0_1.jpg
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Mike Z. 2:37PM (12/16/2006)
Here is the fuel. Basically Fischer-Tropsch for gasified biomass.
http://www.choren.com/en/energy_for_all/sundiesel/
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Dave-in-PA 2:49PM (12/16/2006)
daniel, I don't agree with your cynicism. The oil companies make their money on refining, blending and delivery, which would still be necessary. I may be wrong but it sounds like a win for those in the oil business as well, as long as they understand they're in the FUEL business, not necessarily the OIL or GASOLINE business. And I think they do understand that. Even an idiot understands new technologies will someday make the gasoline burning engine obsolete.
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B 4:02PM (12/16/2006)
A car that runs on trash...
All we need now is a Flux Capacitor and a DeLorean!
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Marty McFly 4:47PM (12/16/2006)
Yeah, it runs on trash, that's nice, but can it generate 1.21 Gigawatts??????
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Scott 5:07PM (12/16/2006)
Let's face it, we keep the oil companies in business, not the other way around. Go ahead, try and name a cheaper fuel that is as easy to obtain, refine, and get to customers. Oil literally flows from the ground. This new technology sounds great, but will be more expensive for a long time, until oil becomes much more expensive. This isn't going to solve all our problems, but it is nice that people are working on that sort of thing.
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Mike 1:31AM (12/17/2006)
VW is really good at wasting their R&D budget.
Just look at the Veyron.
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chewy 5:58PM (12/16/2006)
VW and Audi are leaders in CCS. I expect the first CCS engine to come from them. Can't wait.
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mino 5:56PM (12/16/2006)
Guys Look up HCCI, Homogenous Charge Combustion Ignition, VW has been working on it for quite some time now, and also Ricardo (Wavebuild) they're trying to incorporate this into their engine design software as well. Interesting stuff.
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Dustin 9:24PM (12/16/2006)
Problem is, Combustion engine 3.0 needs 1.21 gigawatts of energy to even start!
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Dustin 9:30PM (12/16/2006)
Ok, so I was a little late to the punch on that one.
Well, anyways, you all thought gasoline smelled bad,
(holding nose) "Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you... TRASHOLINE!" (applause)
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praetorian 2:30AM (12/17/2006)
Combustion 2.0 came out in 1892.
Simple engine, runs on bio-fuels, far more efficient than a gasser, etc. etc.
Diesel, gentlemen.
Cheers,
prat
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Steve2 3:06AM (12/17/2006)
It's just called direct injection.
VW has shipped it in Europe for a while. Audi calls it "FSI".
Since the fuel doesn't even enter the cylinder until just before TDC (top dead center), the engine can't knock. So you can run it as lean as you want. Normally in a gas engine, when you want to put in only a little fuel, you have to let in only a little air to prevent knocking. This means closing the throttle plate, which incurs pumping losses.
But this engine can't knock (well, not harmfully), so you can run lean and save on all those pumping losses.
The multiple squirts is also taken from the high-pressure Diesels too. It prevents that characteristic knock noise that people don't like about Diesels and wouldn't like about this engine if it didn't have the multiple injections to prevent it.
In passenger cars Diesel will have a problem staying ahead of properly set up direct-injection gas engines with ultra low-sulfur gas. Diesel has more energy in it (and thus requires more oil to make) so it will always get higher mpg ratings, but the actual efficiency ratings (and thus cost to run) will get a lot closer to parity. The reduced weight of gas engines may make Diesel a tough sell in car-sized vehicles.
We already have direct-injection gas engines here in the US (new 2.0L turbo EcoTec II from GM and VW/Audi's FSIs) and as soon as ultra low-sulfur gas becomes standard everywhere (not just in California, as it curently is) you can bet we'll see these lean-burn programs show up here, as they've already begun to in Europe.
BTW, the Japanese were already working on this with stratified charge engines in the 80s.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stratified_charge_engine
Advancements in technology mean that this time around the results will probably be more impressive.
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Eric 3:08AM (12/17/2006)
"Mr, Fusion powers the time circuits and the flux capacitor, but the internal combustion engine runs on ordinary gasoline"
-Doc, BTTF III
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eroc 2:07PM (12/19/2006)
i want that in the new scirocco
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