While it’s difficult to find the silver lining in $4 a gallon gasoline, high gas prices actually do have an upside. From single inventors to large companies, everyone is now scrambling to find ways to improve fuel economy – something that will benefit all of us in a few years.
One such company in France’s MCE-5 Development, a research firmed based out of Lyon. MCE-5 is currently working to develop gasoline and diesel engine technology that will return the economy of a hybrid at a fraction of the cost. “It’s possible to have the fuel efficiency of a hybrid for one-tenth the cost,” Vianney Rabhi, director of strategy and development for MCE-5, told Business Week. “Even if there’s a big step in battery development, hybrids will be costly.”
MCE-5’s technology is similar to General Motor’s HCCI and Mercedes-Benz ’ DiesOtto technology – which basically runs a gasoline engine as a diesel — but also incorporates a few other tricks, such as Variable Compression Ratio. The result is a 1.5L naturally aspirated engine that produces 220 horsepower and still returns 45 mpg.
MCE-5 thinks automakers will stick with internal combustion engines for the “next 20 to 30 years”, so new technology to make them more efficient will be critical. Despite the advances, mass production of these new technologies is still probably another 8 to 10 years away. However, if automakers decide to combine MCE-5’s technology with a hybrid powertrain, a 65+ mpg car wouldn’t be out of the question.
