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Data of battery electric vehicles (BEV) with and without a range extender internal combustion engines (ICE) are reviewed and integrated with weight and performance models. A BEV with an on-board, high efficiency, electricity generator based on positive ignition (PI) ICEs is proposed to improve the uptake of the BEV targeting city commuters while improving their economic and environmental impacts. The small ICE, that is working stationary, fixed load and speed, and the generator similarly optimized for a single point operation, permit an efficiency fuel chemical-to-electric of about 49%. This is much better than producing electricity centralized from combustion fuels (average efficiency with included distribution and recharging losses), and it does not require any electric recharging infrastructure. The range of cars can be extended to about the same values of today's car with traditional combustion engines.

Turbocharging dramatically improves the power density of internal combustion engines both in the compression ignition and the spark ignition cases. However, a standalone turbocharger suffers from transient and steady state downfalls where the energy to turbine is either smaller or larger than what would be needed to optimize the engine operation in a specific steady state or transient point. Hence a concept was proposed of a super-turbocharger where the turbocharger shaft is connected to the crankshaft through a continuously variable transmission and a gear. Energy is drawn from the crankshaft or delivered to the crankshaft to improve the work in every operating point of the steady map. In this paper, the concept of super-turbocharger is applied to a six-cylinder, dual fuel diesel injection ignition engine. The system is modelled using state-of-the-art automotive software and simulations of the steady-state operation are presented.

In this paper, the concept of super-turbocharging is applied, in simulation, to a four-cylinder direct injection jet ignition gasoline engine. Turbocharging improves the power density of internal combustion engines, both the compression ignition and the spark ignition. However, a standalone turbocharger suffers from transient and steady state performance and efficiency degradation where the energy to turbine is either smaller or larger than what would be needed to optimize the engine operation in a specific point. Hence a concept is proposed to use a super-turbocharger, where the turbocharger shaft is connected to the crankshaft through a continuously variable transmission (CVT) and a gears pair. Energy is drawn from the crankshaft or delivered to the crankshaft to better work in every operating point. The concept was originally proposed for a diesel engine. Here it is applied to a gasoline engine.

The paper captures the recent events in relation with the Volkswagen (VW) Emissions Scandal and addresses the impact of this event on the future of power train development. The paper analyses the impact on the perspectives of the internal combustion engine, the battery based electric car and the hydrogen based technology. The operation of the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), VW and the United States prosecutor, sparked by the action of the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT) is forcing the Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM) towards everything but rationale immediate transition to the battery based electric mobility. This transition voids the value of any improvement of the internal combustion engine (ICE), especially in the lean burn, compression ignition (CI) technology, and of a better hybridization of powertrains, both options that have much better short term perspectives than the battery based electric car.

The present paper is an introduction to a novel rotary valve engine design addressing the major downfalls of past rotary valves applications while permitting the typical advantages of the rotary valves. Advantages of the solution are the nearly optimal gas exchange, mixture formation, ignition and combustion evolution thanks to the large gas exchange areas from the two horizontal valves per engine cylinder, the good shape of the combustion chamber, the opportunity to place a direct fuel injector and a spark or jet ignition device at the centre of the chamber. The novel engine design also permits higher speed of rotation not having reciprocating poppet valves and the reduced friction losses of the rotating only distribution. This translates in better volumetric efficiencies, combustion rates and brake mean effective pressures for improved power density and fuel efficiency. Additional advantages are the reduced weight and the better packaging.

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) require simple and reliable engines of high power to weight ratio. Wankel and two stroke engines offer many advantages over four stroke engines. A two stroke engines featuring crank case scavenging, precise oiling, direct injection and jet ignition is analyzed here by using CAD, CFD and CAE tools. Results of simulations of engine performances are shown in details. The CFD analysis is used to study fuel injection, mixing and combustion. The CAE model then returns the engine performances over the full range of loads and speeds with the combustion parameters given as an input. The use of asymmetric rather than symmetric port timing and supercharging scavenging is finally suggested as the best avenue to further improve power density and fuel conversion efficiency.

Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) of alternative transportation fuels clearly shows the advantages of reducing the use of non renewable fossil fuels vs. renewable biologic novel fuels to reduce the emissions of carbon dioxide. Being based on the natural recycle of carbon dioxide through the use of renewable energy sources, use of these renewable fuels do not imply depletion of natural resources and is therefore sustainable in the long term. Renewable fuels and advanced internal combustion engines and powertrains are the technologies that in addition to be the most likely to produce benefits in term of carbon balance and fossil fuel saving, are also those that unequivocally have the smallest ecological footprint considering all the environmental implication of transportation technologies, with all the other more exotic solutions having much higher environmental costs to produce, use and dispose of alternative transportation technologies.

Downsizing and Turbo Charging (TC) and Direct Injection (DI) may be combined with Variable Valve Actuation (VVA) to better deal with the challenges of fuel economy enhancement. VVA may control the load without throttle; control the valve directly and quickly; optimize combustion, produce large volumetric efficiency. Benefits lower fuel consumption, lower emissions and better performance and fun to drive. The paper presents an engine model of a 1.6 litre TDI VVA engine specifically designed to run pure ethanol, with computed engine maps for brake specific fuel consumption and efficiency. The paper also presents driving cycle results obtained with a vehicle model for a passenger car powered by this engine and a traditional naturally aspirated gasoline engine. Preliminary results of the VVA system coupled with downsizing, turbo charging and Direct Injection permits significant driving cycle fuel economies.