Tying Evolution of Engines to Energy Efficiency and Environmental Friendliness - Essay Example

Tying Evolution of Engines to Energy Efficiency and Environmental Friendliness The demand for sustainable environment has fuelled the need to develop highly efficient engines for automobiles. Indeed, engines for modern cars have changed so much that they almost look different from the first inventions in 17th century. Whereas there is need to manufacture more fuel efficient engines, engineers are also facing the challenge of making engines that have less pollution to the environment. Many grants by governments across the world are usually given to scientists who invent new systems or improvements on engine performance, efficiency and environmental friendly. More importantly, governments are also providing incentives and tax waives to people who buy hybrid cars in order to encourage the manufacturers in their efforts to manufacture energy efficient automobile engines. Different automobile engines have evolved with time. However, the most common are the 4 cylinder inline engine, v6, v8, and hybrid engines. This paper discusses the different automobile engines whilst comparing their technology, efficiency, environmental friendliness, and the challenges faced while developing engines that are more efficient. Additionally, the paper will discuss the advantages of hybrid cars with much reference to Toyota Prius. 4 Cylinder (V4) Inline Engines Perhaps 4 cylinder inline engines are the most commonly used engines today. However, the technology for this type of engine has revolutionized for decades. Many improvements have been made on the engines to make them efficient, more powerful, and compact and environmental friendly. Technologically, the 4 cylinder inline engine has all the four cylinders arranged in a straight line with all the four pistons being used to drive a common crankshaft. In most cars, the piston displacement goes up to 2.4 liters. However, diesel powered 4 cylinder inline engines have most often gone beyond 3.0 liters displacement. Notably, a series of modifications have been made on this type of engine. Whereas most of earlier versions used carburetor, modern cars use complicated electrical systems such as the VVTi systems (“U.S department of Energy”). Indeed, most modern cars produced in the last ten years have a computerized system otherwise referred to as engine management systems for controlling fuel and air into the engine. Considering the widespread use of4 cylinder inline engines, it is safe to conclude that these are the most efficient automobile engines so far especially considering the widespread use of gasoline and diesel as the propellant (“U.S department of Energy”). V6 Engines V6 engines are indeed the second most commonly used engines in automobiles. The v6 engine comprises of 6 cylinders with 6 pistons driving a common crankshaft. However, the 6 cylinders are not often placed in one straight line. Actually, three cylinders are put on either side making a v shape with the crankshaft. Most of these engines are either configured at 60 degrees or 90 degrees. However, the 60 degree orientation is arguably the most efficient and provides less engine vibration as well. However, it is important to note that most v6 engines are most commonly used in medium sized cars especially most of the lower end sports utility vehicles (SUVs). However, in line with the need for energy conservation, v6 engines have undergone tremendous improvements. For instance, the inline 6cylinder engines are no longer being manufactured. The piston angle has also been factored in many model manufacturing. For instance, some of the modern cars using v6 engines are either turbocharged or use super chargers to improve fuel efficiency and produce more torque. Simply put, turbo chargers are systems that compress and sometimes preheat air and force it into combustion chambers at high pressure hence generating more energy (“U.S department of Energy”). V8 engines V8 engines have eight cylinders with four cylinders on each side. All the eight cylinders drive the same crankshaft. Noticeably, most v8 engines have their cylinders configured at a 90 degree to each other. However, due to the vibrational noise associated with this kind of piston orientation, other modifications such as additional weight are incorporated. The v8 engines that are most synonymous with cross plane crankshaft are much used in most large automobiles. Since the energy requirements for such engines are significantly high, v8 engines cannot be manufactured with engines less than 3.0 liter displacement. Due to their high power output, v8 engines are very often common on powerful vehicles. Indeed, these engines are common on many sports cars, luxury SUVs as well as light trucks. It is worth considering that v8 engines are mostly limited to rear propelled cars due to their large size. One interesting fact to consider about v8 engines is that they were originally designed for use in aircrafts but later found their way into the automobile industry. The energy efficiency of v8 engines primarily depends on the overall use of the engine. However, modern v8 engines with turbo and super chargers are more efficient than earlier versions (“U.S department of Energy”). V8 engines have however not gone without controversy and resistance. Since v8 engines consume significant amount of fuel, they are not considered environmental friendly. Most of the cars considered to be “fuel guzzlers” are indeed propelled by a v8 engine. Although most car manufacturers have produced at least a fuel guzzler brand, some of the common fuel guzzlers with v8 engines include Toyota Prado, land cruiser, range rover, Nissan patrol, among others (“Car Dekho.” web). Hybrid Engines Hybrid automobiles refer to automobiles that can combine the use of two or more forms of energy for propulsion. The most common type of hybrid cars use a combination of a fuel powered engine and an electric motor engine. Full hybrid cars have the ability to use each power source independently. For instance, the most common hybrid car, Toyota Prius, can use the fuel powered engine while the electric motor is off. It can also use the electric motor independently. However, other hybrid models can only use the two power sources simultaneously. There has been overwhelming contribution and aggressiveness into making hybrid cars. This is because hybrid automobiles have proved to be the solution to the global environmental issues. Since most hybrid cars on the road use a combination of electric and fuel power sources, the emissions are significantly low compared to fuel-only powered cars (“U.S department of Energy”). Whereas hybrid cars are a welcome idea, having them on the road comes with a high price. Since the hybrid technology is still in its infancy stage, high costs of production of batteries poses a great challenge for hybrid cars. For instance, a Prius battery is likely to cost more than 3000 USD. Although such costs are expected to go down with improvements on technology, the cost discourages potential buyers. It is worthwhile considering that Toyota Prius is indeed a landmark car in hybrid technology. The Prius is the most produced hybrid car in the world with people across the world finding it pocket friendly in consumption. The most interesting fact about Prius is that it can cruise for approximately 100 kilometers for just six liters of fuel or less on normal use (Chao et al. 1737-40).. Since Prius can satisfy most of the common driver’s needs for power, speed and comfort ability, then Prius serves as a best example for the rest of the manufacturers in regard to automobile engine manufacture. Compared to a very common car such as Toyota land cruiser and range rover vogue that consumes more than 10 liters for every 100 kms, then it can be clearly seen that hybrid cars are indeed the best alternatives. Engine emissions are one of the most important factors in consideration when manufacturers design automobile engines. Since the first engine was invented, significant reductions in emissions have been reported with time. At present, hybrid cars such as prius having emissions of less than 150 gms for every kilometer (Chao et al. 1737-40). However, compared to more powerful cars such as range rover vogue that records almost 200 gms emission for every kilometer Prius is still more environmental friendly. This implies that hybrid vehicles are more environmental friendly compared to other vehicle models powered by fuel only. The real impact of car emissions was not seriously considered until early 1950’s. According to Melosi, “The more recent version of smog, primarily from automobile emissions, is composed of a complex of carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons, sulfur oxides, nitrogen oxides, waste heat, and aerosols. Automobile emissions can indeed cause havoc to different aspects of life. Some human health complications have been attributed to auto emissions. One of the early controversies was the introduction of tetraethyl lead, a gasoline additive, for improving fuel combustion in engines (“Union of Concerned Scientists” web). However, with time, manufacturers have modified engine systems as well as fuel production to reduce the amount of lead on fuel. Notable is the increased campaigns for use of natural gas and lead free petroleum for automobiles. According to world resource institute “Worldwide, motor vehicles currently emit well over 900 million metric tons of CO2 each year. These emissions account for more than 15 percent of global fossil fuel CO2 releases” (web). These staggering statistics only suggest the dire need to move away from fuel powered automobiles to more environmental friendlier options such as hybrid cars. For instance, if the production of v8 engines for SUVs that are mostly used by the common person could be reduced significantly and replaced with hybrid engines, then we would report a commensurate decrease on automobile emissions. This is very important considering that the global population is increasing daily, which means the number of people purchasing cars is also increasing. For instance, “The number of vehicles in China has been growing at an annual rate of almost 13 percent for 30 years, nearly doubling every 5 years. India’s fleet has been expanding at more than 7 percent per year” (Word Resource institute web). Therefore, action needs to be taken as fast as possible. However, although there is need to reduce engine capacities in the efforts to reduce emissions and reduce fuel consumption, it is important to consider that use and utility of vehicles is different for different people. Indeed, it is not possible for all people, for instance, to drive Toyota Prius. We need to acknowledge and respect the different classes of people in the world. High-income earners should be allowed to drive fuel guzzlers since they can afford. This way, the government, through taxes, will be in a position to get some of their money and channel it to environmental protection programs hence saving the environment. It is also important to consider that most fuel guzzlers have higher power delivery, safer, and easier to use on rough terrain (Jeffrey, web). Therefore, automobiles with v6 and v8 engines will remain with us despite the higher fuel consumption compared to v4 engines or hybrid vehicles. More significantly, it should be noted that engine improvements in larger engines such as v8 turbo engines have made it possible for such engines to use significantly less fuel compared to engines used many years ago (PR “Newswire” web). Therefore, the best option is to encourage and give incentives to scientists to come up with more efficient but larger engines. Perhaps one of the important questions to ask is, what are engineers doing. One of the things the engineers are trying to do is to improve the compression ratio of engines. Compression ratio simply means the amount of air fuel mixture getting in to the combustion chamber. For instance, Mazda engineers have been able to push the compression ratio for SKYACTIV-G gasoline engine to approximately 14:1 making the engine more efficient and more powerful. However, such technology is challenged by the need to have higher octane fuel for combustion on such engines. Luckily, such engines can be used in areas where fuels have high octane. More significantly, “As Volkswagen's first production hybrid electric vehicle, the all-new Touareg 3.0-liter supercharged, direct injection V6 gasoline engine is paired with a special electric motor that significantly reduces fuel consumption and emissions compared to the previous V8 FSI mode” (“PR Newswire”). Indeed, this is an encouragement to the efforts of coming up with even more efficient but more powerful engines. Ford has stepped up their engineering by combining the technology of direct injection together with turbo charging. Actually, these types of engines are being referred to as EcoBoost since they are using less fuel and are also smaller in size. For example, the ford’s F-150 is able to deliver more than 300 horsepower and yet the engine is only 3.5-liter displacement. This is a very significant improvement considering other ford models such as their 6.8-liter V-10 delivers relatively the same amount of horsepower. However, the path that most engine engineers seem to be taking is the path to hybrid engines. It is important to note that although most hybrid cars such as Prius are ecofriendly and also fuel efficient, they are not so good when it comes to high performance (Chao et al. 1737-40). However, engineers have devised means to overcome this problem. Jaguar company is said to engineer a model that harnesses a lot of energy from a combination of v6 engine with electric motor hybrid. By just pressing a button, the car makes use of maximum torque available from both v6 engine and the electric motor (“PR Newswire” 2009). This way, a driver is able to accelerate fast when need arises hence making the ride more interesting (Chao et al. 1737-40). Since v8 engines consume much fuel, experts have come with a way of cutting half of the cylinders when the car does not need much energy hence saving a lot of fuel. In this type of technology, the engine makes use of all the 8 cylinders to power the car when demand is high hence making it possible to get high energy when needed and cruise at low fuel consumption when energy demand is low. Whereas there has been a remarkable change in engine designs, the body design for improved aerodynamics has not changed so much for the last decades. Many people have questioned the low mileage they get despite the good consumption rating of their engines. However, it is important to consider that engine efficiency cannot be measured independently but should be done together with the overall vehicle performance. Therefore, improving the shape of the car to improve aerodynamics is important as well. Improved aerodynamic features help in improving the wind resistance hence reducing the load on the engine considerably. As expected, when the load on the engine reduces, less fuel is used resulting to less emission. Indeed, “Fuel economy improvements can result from reducing friction and drag - not only within engines and transmissions, but as air flows over and around the vehicle as it efficiently skims through the atmosphere at cruising speeds” (Energy and Ecology Business 38). It therefore does not come by surprise that most modern medium sized cars such as Toyota Prius, Toyota Wish, Mercedes Benz series among others are considerably aerodynamic. However, the world is waiting in anticipation for The XL1 from Volkswagen. It is believed that this model will be the most aerodynamic car in the world once it is produced with claims being made that fuel consumption for that model will be relatively low due to the aerodynamic features. However, the challenge faced by aerodynamic engineers is the need to retain the interior space and comfort. For instance, aerodynamic features for big vehicles such as buses can only be improved up to a certain level due to the space requirements of a passenger bus (Energy and Ecology Business 38). In conclusion, different types of engines have different configurations hence different fuel consumption rates as well as different emission rates. The tremendous improvement in engine technology has improved efficiency and emission greatly. More importantly, use of improved aerodynamics to reduce air drag has contributed to improved fuel efficiency. Use of hybrid cars has come as a relief to the worry about global energy resources and environmental protection. Although the effects of automobile emission are still felt presently, there is hope that the future will be safer if the tremendous changes on engine and overall vehicle efficiency are maintained. However, there have been numerous challenges facing adoption and use of energy efficient and environmental friendly engine options. Most significant is the maintenance cost and cost of replacement for batteries for hybrid car owners. Considering adoption of automobile technology, there is hope for a better tomorrow when most cars on the road will be ecofriendly and most importantly, pocket friendly. However, full benefits will primarily depend on the acceptance of the car users to use their cars more efficiently. Without goodwill from car users, most of the good work that is being done by engineers to improve car engines will still go to waste. Works Cited "All-New 2011 Volkswagen Touareg Combines Stunning Design with Increased Power and Improved Fuel Efficiency." PR Newswire Sep 28 2010. ProQuest. Web. 13 May 2013 . "New Honeywell Turbo Technology Redefines Efficiency and Performance of Diesel V-Engines." PR Newswire Mar 02 2009.ProQuest. Web. 13 May 2013 . "Reportlinker Adds Hybrid Electric Cars - A Global Market Overview." PR Newswire. Jan 25 2011. ProQuest. Web. 13 May 2013 “Car Dekho.” Compare Land Rover Range Rover and Toyota Prius. Web 13 May 2013. “Union of Concerned Scientists.” Car Emissions and Global Warming. 2013. Web 13 May 2013. “World Resources Institute.” CO2 emissions from motor vehicles. 1999. Web 13 May 2013. < http://www.wri.org/publication/content/8468> Chao, Pong (Paul), et al. "Toyota's Prius: A Case of Successful Innovation Management." IIE Annual Conference.Proceedings (2008): 1736-41. ProQuest. Web. 13 May 2013. Energy and Ecology Business. "Auto Manufacturing Companies; Aerodynamics: Ford Vehicles Cheat the Wind, Helping Drivers to Beat the Pump." (2011): 38. ProQuest. Web. 13 May 2013. Jeffrey, B. "Hybrid Vehicles, Diesel Cars Win in Fuel Efficiency." Wall Street Journal: 0. Oct 30 2002. ProQuest. Web. 13 May 2013  Melosi, Martin. The Automobile and the Environment in American History. Automobile in American Life and Society. 2010. Web 13 May 2013. U.S department of Energy. Engine Technologies. Web 13 May 2013. Read More