What’s Old is New Again
Many of today’s private and public sector fleets are migrating to hybrid vehicles for a very important reason: better fuel economy equals cost savings and carbon reduction. With invoice costs and retail demand of hybrid vehicles becoming more competitive with their gasoline counterparts, hybrids are a viable option for a fleet’s selector list. Keep in mind it is not just the battery that equates to the higher MPG; rather the ability to couple an Atkinson cycle engine with electric power the mainstay of today’s hybrid vehicles.
The Atkinson cycle engine is not a new technology; it was invented in 1882 by James
Atkinson to bypass patents covering the existing traditional 4-stroke Otto cycle engine.
An Atkinson engine’s efficiency advantage could be up to 14% more than that of an Otto engine. So why haven’t we seen Atkinson cycle engines utilized in vehicles prior to the hybrid? Power. Because a smaller portion of the compression stroke is used to compress the air-fuel mixture, an Atkinson engine does not take in as much air as a similarly sized Otto engine. Coupled with an electric motor however, this power gap is closed. Not only is efficiency improved by the electric motor, but by the utilization of a more efficient combustion engine as well.
Some vehicles that currently utilize Atkinson engines include:
- Ford Escape / Mercury Mariner Hybrids
- Ford Fusion / Mercury Milan Hybrids
- Toyota Camry Hybrid
- Toyota Prius
- Chevy Tahoe Hybrid
- Lexus RX 450h Hybrid
- Lexus HS 250h Hybrid
- Mercedes ML450 Hybrid
- Mercedes S400 Blue Hybrid
So the next time you climb into a hybrid and step on the gas pedal, remember this: it’s not just electric motors and batteries that are contributing to your MPG, but a 130-year-old invention that has finally come to light.
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