5 Ways to Redesign the Internal Combustion Engine
Since the earliest days of the automobile in late 19th century, the dominant powerplant has been the reciprocating piston, spark-ignition Otto-cycle, followed by the compression-ignition diesel. Those engines are still undergoing plenty of development efforts and will see significant improvements in fuel efficiency in the next few years, thanks to direct injection, turbocharging and, further out, homogeneous charge compression ignition (HCCI). However, all these engines feature the same piston-connecting rod-crankshaft architecture. As engineers strive for ever more efficiency, new architectures are being investigated and older less-successful types are being revisited.
