GM Says It's Closer To Cleaner, More Fuel-Efficient Engine
May 20 2009 - 8:31AM
Dow Jones News
General Motors Corp. (GM) said Wednesday it's getting closer to
developing a new engine that would deliver diesel-like fuel economy
with lower emissions.
The engine, called a homogeneous charge compression ignition or
HCCI, could be a decade away and faces substantial challenges
before truly becoming road ready.
But the cash-strapped auto maker needs all the help it can get
on the fuel economy front. As of this week, GM faces added pressure
of stepped-up federal fuel economy standards that promise to
complicate the already daunting task of loading its fleet with
gas-sipping technologies while slashing staff and spending.
"As the emissions standards continue to get tighter and tighter
it is a challenge and it really will be a question of cost," said
Paul Najt, group manager of group manager of GM's Powertrain
Systems Research. "With this, we now have a system that is robust
enough to put on the open road."
GM says the engine will deliver a 15% fuel economy improvement
from a comparable engine on the road today. The auto maker has
successfully tested engine in vehicles, but has yet to prove its
durability over time or in extreme temperatures.
GM is competing against rival auto makers to bring the HCCI
engines to market, most of which have various projects in the
works. The engines are desirable because they provide much of the
fuel efficiency of a diesel without the expensive aftertreatments
required to get a diesel to meet emissions standards.
But auto makers have approached the technology with various
levels of skepticism given the complexity of making sure the engine
can stand up to stringent emissions, durability and cost demands.
Volkswagen AG (VLKAY) and Toyota Motor Co. (TM) have each said they
believe HCCI is a technology of the more distant future.
While the HCCI engine may be years away, a federal mandate to
improve fuel efficiency is closing in. The Obama administration
this week said it plans to order auto makers to increase the fuel
economy of automobiles sold in the U.S. to 35.5 miles per gallon by
2016, four years faster than current law requires.
-By Sharon Terlep, Dow Jones Newswires; 248-204-5512;
Sharon.Terlep@dowjones.com