As reported by Hyundai
SUPERIOR TOWNSHIP, Mich., - A new four-cylinder engine will help power Hyundai's drive towards becoming the fuel economy leader when it launches in the company's most popular car, the 2011 Sonata.
Today, Hyundai unveiled the engine, which is built at Hyundai Motor Manufacturing of Alabama, at its Hyundai America Technical Center in Superior Township, Michigan, where it engineers, designs, tests and certifies vehicles sold in the U.S.
The 2.4-liter Theta II GDI engine features gasoline direct injection (GDI) technology which operates with greater efficiency using less fuel, creating fewer emissions and delivering improved throttle response, all while making more power than a traditional port-injected engine. In the all-new 2011 Sonata, consumers can expect an estimated best-in-class fuel economy of 35 miles per gallon in highway driving (EPA certification pending).
Hyundai announced in late 2008 that it would lead the industry in meeting newly proposed Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards, that would have required a fleet average of 35 mpg by 2020, five years early through a combination of new technologies, including hybrids and gasoline direct injection. Since that time, the industry has agreed to work with the more aggressive standard. The Obama administration has since proposed more aggressive standards of 35.5 mpg by 2016, which Hyundai supports and also plans to meet ahead of schedule in its quest to become the most fuel efficient brand in the U.S.
Theta II 2.4L GDI
Hyundai's Theta I-4 engine family is a proprietary design, engineered in Namyang, Korea and currently in production for applications all over the world at volumes exceeding 2 million annually. The new Theta II 2.4L GDI engine is a derivative of the Theta with major upgrades in technology and architecture. It features a unique block, valvetrain, front end accessory drive (FEAD), intake manifold, pistons, rods, crankshaft, variable induction system and catalyst. The Theta II 2.4L GDI delivers an estimated 200 horsepower @ 6,300 rpm and 186 lb.-ft. of torque @4,250 rpm. The most significant technology in the new engine is direct injection.
How GDI Differs from Conventional Port Injection
The key to direct injection is the use of individual fuel injectors for each cylinder strategically positioned to deliver the optimal fuel charge directly into the combustion chamber. In a traditional multi-port system, gasoline is delivered via the port of each cylinder, where it mixes with air and is drawn into the cylinders when the intake valve opens and the piston moves down. A drawback to the traditional system is when engine speeds increase, the time to open the valve to deliver fuel becomes progressively shorter making accurate delivery more challenging.
GDI avoids that issue and the shorter, more direct path of fuel delivery, allows for greater control of the optimum fuel mixture at the optimum moment, thus improving efficiency. The fuel is injected by a camshaft-driven, high pressure pump that operates at pressures up to 2175 psi (150 bar). Direct injection also utilizes a higher than normal 11.3:1 compression ratio to for increased power. The pistons are "domed" to increase combustion efficiency.
SUPERIOR TOWNSHIP, Mich., - A new four-cylinder engine will help power Hyundai's drive towards becoming the fuel economy leader when it launches in the company's most popular car, the 2011 Sonata.
Today, Hyundai unveiled the engine, which is built at Hyundai Motor Manufacturing of Alabama, at its Hyundai America Technical Center in Superior Township, Michigan, where it engineers, designs, tests and certifies vehicles sold in the U.S.
The 2.4-liter Theta II GDI engine features gasoline direct injection (GDI) technology which operates with greater efficiency using less fuel, creating fewer emissions and delivering improved throttle response, all while making more power than a traditional port-injected engine. In the all-new 2011 Sonata, consumers can expect an estimated best-in-class fuel economy of 35 miles per gallon in highway driving (EPA certification pending).
Hyundai announced in late 2008 that it would lead the industry in meeting newly proposed Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards, that would have required a fleet average of 35 mpg by 2020, five years early through a combination of new technologies, including hybrids and gasoline direct injection. Since that time, the industry has agreed to work with the more aggressive standard. The Obama administration has since proposed more aggressive standards of 35.5 mpg by 2016, which Hyundai supports and also plans to meet ahead of schedule in its quest to become the most fuel efficient brand in the U.S.
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Theta II 2.4L GDI
Hyundai's Theta I-4 engine family is a proprietary design, engineered in Namyang, Korea and currently in production for applications all over the world at volumes exceeding 2 million annually. The new Theta II 2.4L GDI engine is a derivative of the Theta with major upgrades in technology and architecture. It features a unique block, valvetrain, front end accessory drive (FEAD), intake manifold, pistons, rods, crankshaft, variable induction system and catalyst. The Theta II 2.4L GDI delivers an estimated 200 horsepower @ 6,300 rpm and 186 lb.-ft. of torque @4,250 rpm. The most significant technology in the new engine is direct injection.
How GDI Differs from Conventional Port Injection
The key to direct injection is the use of individual fuel injectors for each cylinder strategically positioned to deliver the optimal fuel charge directly into the combustion chamber. In a traditional multi-port system, gasoline is delivered via the port of each cylinder, where it mixes with air and is drawn into the cylinders when the intake valve opens and the piston moves down. A drawback to the traditional system is when engine speeds increase, the time to open the valve to deliver fuel becomes progressively shorter making accurate delivery more challenging.
GDI avoids that issue and the shorter, more direct path of fuel delivery, allows for greater control of the optimum fuel mixture at the optimum moment, thus improving efficiency. The fuel is injected by a camshaft-driven, high pressure pump that operates at pressures up to 2175 psi (150 bar). Direct injection also utilizes a higher than normal 11.3:1 compression ratio to for increased power. The pistons are "domed" to increase combustion efficiency.