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Mazda introducing breakthrough 'spark-less' gasoline engine in 2019
Published September 26, 2017
Current Mazda3 engine (Mazda)
Mazda is getting rid of the spark plug. At least some of the time.
The automaker has announced the development of a breakthrough engine technology it plans to introduce in 2019.
Known as Spark Controlled Compression Ignition, it is Mazda’s version of a homogeneous charge compression ignition (HCCI) engine, which can burn gasoline without a sparkplug firing, the way a diesel motor does.
This increases fuel efficiency of gasoline engines, but has been difficult to engineer for consumer use. A spark is still needed to ignite the fuel at certain RPMs, and juggling the two combustion methods is a complicated puzzle that Mazda claims it has solved.
Mazda will be the first automaker to put the technology into production and predicts that it will improve fuel economy by 20-30 percent. The lean-burning engines will also be supercharged and deliver efficiency on par with similarly-sized diesel engines, the company says.
Mazda did not confirm which model would debut the new engine, which will be marketed under the Skyactiv-X name, but it is expected to first show up in a redesigned Mazda3 compact.
According to Cars Guide, there’s also a possibility that HCCI could be incorporated a future rotary motor that will allow Mazda to resurrect its signature engine type in the near future.
MAZDA'S SEVEN-PASSENGER SPORTS CAR:
https://www.foxnews.com/auto/mazda-introducing-breakthrough-spark-less-gasoline-engine-in-2019