It’s no secret that the automotive industry is under huge pressure to comply with ever-stricter emissions standards given the current situation that exists today. Not only do carmakers have to reduce the level of pollutants, but they must also improve fuel economy of their vehicles at the same time. Needless to say, the challenge is a massive one. Some technologies that have been used thus far, such as turbocharging and direct injection are already being stretched to their limits. However, it appears that Japanese car maker, Infiniti, has made a significant breakthrough. Infiniti has announced that they will be showcasing a new, production ready, variable compression ratio turbocharged petrol engine called VC-T.
The new engine will be on display at the Paris motor show in September. What we know is that this new engine, which has been under development with parent company Nissan for two decades, allows the engine management system to vary the compression ratio of the engine between 8:1 and 14:1 using an actuator arm that links to a control shaft. This new technology, paired with the standard turbocharging, has many advantages. The first is that at high compression it allows the engine to run more efficiently, while at lower compression it has increased performance over a standard engine. As a result of which it provides significant improvements in the fuel efficiency of the engine. The company also claims that the VC-T unit is lighter than a standard unit, which leads to further benefits.
