Free Republic

The diesel Verna is likely to eat into the market as also expand it a bit. But the petrol version, despite being more value for money, will still find it difficult to unseat the current segment leader — Honda City. Hyundai's new mid-sizer — the Verna — is a product that was much speculated about before its launch late last month. Will it replace the Accent? Will Hyundai at least retain the Accent Viva? All these questions and more were answered when Hyundai decided to launch the new Verna, even as it sensibly decided to retain the aging, but popular,...

Diesel cars are few and far between in the U.S.--but is that about to change? These are heady days for diesel. On Oct. 15, new federal regulations went into effect mandating that vehicles use "clean" diesel fuel--a new type of diesel with a 97% reduction in sulfur content. (See: " Fuel For Thought.") And though the old diesel can be used until 2010, the new stuff is now available around the country. This means cleaner air, cleaner engines and advanced emission-control devices are on the way. It also means automakers are planning to bring more diesels to the U.S., finally...

HOQUIAM, Washington (Reuters) - A biodiesel fuel company backed by venture capital money on Friday broke ground on what will be the largest U.S. biodiesel plant and pledged to develop other facilities nationwide to meet the growing demand for the environmentally friendly fuel. Imperium Renewables, the largest biodiesel producer on the U.S. West Coast, plans to open in mid-2007 a new refinery capable of producing 100 million gallons of biodiesel a year. "We stand here today to celebrate not just the foundation of a physical plant, but the foundation of an entire movement," said John Plaza, founder and president of...

The federal government is to offer a sweetener to encourage the quick take-up of a new, cleaner form of diesel fuel. From January 1 next year, the government will pay a 1c per litre subsidy on the new diesel fuel, which contains 10 parts per million of sulphur or less. The two-year subsidy will apply until the new diesel becomes mandatory after December 31, 2008. The new sulphur standard is 20 per cent less than the current standard. Diesel with the new standard will be mandatory from 2009. Treasurer Peter Costello said on Monday the cleaner standard would deliver major...

HOUSTON, Oct 27 (Reuters) - Wholesale California diesel prices jumped 7 cents on Friday on news ConocoPhillips (COP.N: Quote, Profile, Research) shut a hydrocracker at its 76,000 barrel per day refinery in Rodeo, California, traders said. Diesel formulated to meet California's strict pollution rules traded in the Los Angeles wholesale market as high as 14 cents over December heating oil futures on the New York Mercantile Exchange, the traders said. Early on Thursday, California diesel sold at 4.5 cents over December NYMEX heating oil. Late in the afternoon, California diesel sold at 7 cents over NYMEX heating oil. On Friday,...

A drive up the Long Beach Freeway, trapped between a dozen soot-belching big rigs from the port, is a good example of why diesel engines have such a lousy reputation in this country. Motorists know diesel not only from the tremendous air quality problems caused by big trucks and ships that ply waters off the coast, but from the clanking engines of the 1970s-era Mercedes-Benz cars and the kerosene-like odors that announce their arrival. But a revolution is underway and a key development occurred just last week that will have a major effect on the future of diesel. Under new...

Cleveland diversified manufacturer Eaton Corp. today announced it acquired the assets of a diesel fuel processing company and, separately, said it has consolidated a contract with its federal customers. Eaton acquired the assets of Catalytica Energy Systems Inc. of Mountain View, Calif., for $2.4 million. Under terms of the deal, Eaton gets the assignment and license of Catalytica’s diesel fuel processing system and certain other assets. Further, Eaton will assume control of Catalytica’s research and development operation in Mountain View, which employs 12 people. “Catalytica’s expertise in diesel fuel processing technology complements our product development activities and will be an...

Mazda has gained about a two-year advantage over its rival Japanese manufacturers by launching a turbo-diesel passenger car on the Australian market. Mazda6 diesel wagon Mazda has placed two Mazda6 diesel models in showrooms - a $35,205 wagon and a $38,090 luxury hatchback. Both are powered by MZR-CD 2.0-litre turbo-diesel engines that produce 105 kW and 360 Nm. But the big attraction will be the claimed 5.9 L/100 km fuel consumption, compared with the MZR 2.3-litre petrol-engined 6's 8.8 L/100 km official average. On the highway, Mazda claims an average of 5.0 L/100 km for the diesels and a...

The return of the Italian job Fiat is back selling cars in Australia after a 17-year break and for most of us it was a barely noticeable absence. But as petrol prices rise and attention turns to smaller cars and diesel engines, the Italian manufacturer's timing looks good. The Punto mini is the first model we get. On sale here less than one year after its European debut, it comes in three and five-door body styles, three model grades and four engine choices. Significantly, three of them are powered by diesel engines. And that includes the model being tested here,...

HAMMOND | The crisp autumn air remained odorless and free from petroleum-based smoke as U.S. Sen. Dick Lugar, standing next to a Hammond school bus powered by locally produced soy-diesel fuel, praised the innovation. Lugar, R-Ind., visited Evergreen Renewables on Tuesday as part of a statewide tour of companies that are developing alternative energy sources and lessening dependence on imported oil. The facility located at Wolf Lake Terminals began making fuel from soybeans in May and was Indiana's first online biodiesel production plant. Today, it makes 120,000 gallons weekly and soon will process and ship the around the clock. "There...

Jet-Engine Inspiration Another potential player in the race to 100 mpg is the StarRotor, which began life as an air conditioner at Texas A&M University. Chemical-engineering professor Mark Holtzapple and his colleague Andrew Rabroker were attempting to build a better compressor for an air conditioner when they hit on the idea that became the StarRotor engine’s basic architecture. Once they made the connection to car engines, “we quickly forgot about air conditioners,” Rabroker says. They have since formed a business (also called StarRotor) to commercialize the technology. The StarRotor uses the same thermodynamic process as jet engines to recuperate some...

Georgia Tech researchers have created a new combustor (combustion chamber where fuel is burned to power an engine or gas turbine) designed to burn fuel in a wide range of devices â with next to no emission of nitrogen oxide (NOx) and carbon monoxide (CO), two of the primary causes of air pollution. The device has a simpler design than existing state-of-the-art combustors and could be manufactured and maintained at a much lower cost, making it more affordable in everything from jet engines and power plants to home water heaters. A comparison of Georgia Tech's combustor with a traditional combustor:...

Although simple in concept, the complexity of the internal combustion engine is mind-boggling. Most of the time we take it for granted when we turn the ignition key, shift into gear and step on the gas, but a marvel of mechanics, managing thousands of little explosions each minute, keeps us traveling smoothly down the highways and byways and streets where we live. This video gives us an animated look at a virtual engine, from bare block to ignition. The inline-four engine is made by Deutz, an independent German machine manufacturer. See every component: casted this, braided that, spinning this, machined...

Engine on a chipISA InTech, September 28, 2006 Engine on a chip A tiny gas-turbine engine inside a silicon chip about the size of a quarter could run 10 times longer than a battery of the same weight can, powering laptops, cell phones, radios, and other electronic devices. It could also dramatically lighten the load for people who can’t connect to a power grid, including soldiers who now must carry many pounds of batteries for a three-day mission. All this technology can come at a reasonable price. In the long term, mass production could bring the per-unit cost of power...

/begin my summary[N. Korean Missile] Taepodong-2 Engine Defect, Exposing its ProblemsThe source of N. Korean Taepodong-2 missile failure is now being narrowed down to its engine problem.According to NIS(S. Korean Intelligence Agency,) Taepodong-2 was launched at 5am, on July 5th, from the launch pad at Munsudan-ri, Hwa-dae County, N. Hamkyong Province. After its vertical ascent, it was flying over East Sea when its engine developed 'shaking.'It is the same as  the situation where imperfect combustion of automobile fuel causes engine to shake. Experts suspect that some technical problems inside booster rockets lead to imperfect combustion of its liquid fuel. According to this scenario, this 'shaking' persisted for (initial) 40 seconds of...

GE's Alternative Engine Program Also Facing Hiccups During Development By David A. Fulghum 06/02/2006 Developing an engine with all the necessary power and flexibility to both fly supersonic and then land - vertically - a stealthy, bomb-carrying fighter is proving to be a tough proposition for all the engine companies involved. Officials at General Electric, developer of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter's alternate engine program, confirmed that they've had problems with a prototype engine that was designed in conjunction with partner Rolls-Royce. Its role is to test advanced parts destined for use in a more mature System Development and Demonstration...

Imagine dumping the big V-8 in your SUV for a 25-pound, 2.4 liter engine that gives you 150 miles per gallon on biodiesel - with a boost in horsepower and torque to boot. Meet Raphial Morgado and the little engine that could... With up to 40 times the power to weight ratio of a conventional engine, flexible fuel compatibility, a displacement of 850 cubic inches and the torque of a 32-cylinder engine, the MYT is the beginning of a new paradigm for engines in the 21st century! "The inspiration for the MYT Engine design came from the need to have...

Scuderi Group Air-Hybrid Engine claimed to double fuel efficiency May 3, 2006 On March 7, we wrote of the coming of Scuderi Group's Air-Hybrid engine which claims the title of the world's most fuel efficient internal combustion engine. The Scuderi engine makes its European debut May 9 - 11 at the Engine Expo 2006 in Stuttgart, Germany on a bit of a roll. With three additional worldwide patents recently filed, the air-hybrid system potentially doubles the fuel efficiency of today's gasoline and diesel vehicles and reduces toxic emissions by up to 80 percent. The design is ingenious, has been verified...

The MYT™ (Massive Yet Tiny) Engine, is a breakthrough of immense proportions that will spawn the next industrial revolution and will rocket the internal combustion engine into the next millennium. Please spread the word. The MYT™ Engine has the potential to replace all the existing internal combustion engines and jet engines. With 40 times higher power to weight ratio, low parts count, low maintenance, high mechanical efficienty, and low pollution, the MYT™ Engine will benefit airplane, big ship, 18 wheeler, SUV, passenger car, even down to carry on power generator applications. The MYT™ Engine as a pump/compressor also exceeds exisiting...

Emhart/Tech Briefs Contest Winners 2005 - Entry MYT (Massive Yet Tiny) Engine Name: Raphial Title of Entry: MYT (Massive Yet Tiny) Engine Category: Transportation Illustration Description of Entry 292 Emhart/Tech Briefs Contest 2005 Entries Description of Entry 292 Description: The MYT (Massive Yet Tiny) Engine is a revolutionary internal combustion engine for the next millenium. The first prototype model exerts 850 cubic inches of displacement even though the size is only 14" diameter by 14" long, weighing in 150 lbs. The reason why the MYT Engine is so huge in displacement is because of frequent firing. It fires 16 times...