Lotus has just received another award for its environmental research project. Dubbed HOTFIRE, it's a direct injection engine that reduces fuel consumption and CO2 emissions by 15%. With it, Lotus wanted to study the potential gains achieved by pulverising fuel directly in a conventional engine's cylinders rather than using an air/fuel mixture.
The results were not long in coming and have already been the subject of talk among the leading car manufacturers. By introducing fuel and air separately into the cylinders, we have more leeway in terms of engine operation; there are no exhaust losses, which reduces CO2 emissions and improves engine performance.
The HOTFIRE project is the product of a partnership between Lotus Engineering, Continental Powertrain and Energy Saving Trust (the financer). Already, the project has led to the production of a three-cylinder mill to be used in a hybrid system installed in Opel Astras that will demonstrate the improvement in performance and fuel efficiency.
photo:Lotus
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The results were not long in coming and have already been the subject of talk among the leading car manufacturers. By introducing fuel and air separately into the cylinders, we have more leeway in terms of engine operation; there are no exhaust losses, which reduces CO2 emissions and improves engine performance.
The HOTFIRE project is the product of a partnership between Lotus Engineering, Continental Powertrain and Energy Saving Trust (the financer). Already, the project has led to the production of a three-cylinder mill to be used in a hybrid system installed in Opel Astras that will demonstrate the improvement in performance and fuel efficiency.
photo:Lotus