For the moment, electricity, propane, CNG, LPG and hydrogen are clearly ahead in this race for the power source of the future, but ICE is slowly beginning to fight back, despite the adverse environment created in the US by President Obama after he expressed his support for the Nat Gas Act.
The first page of what ICE-supporters hope will be a whole book of evolution for the ICE engine might be written starting April 12, during the 2011 SAE World Congress. The name of the player is HECS (High Efficiency Combustion System), a small, hefty, yet frugal internal combustion engine.
We've seen, over the years, several attempts to make the internal combustion engine a viable choice in the future that looks more and more electric. Whether you call it opoc, Scuderi or otherwise, all these engine are aimed at one thing: show that ICE doesn't necessarily mean low power, high fuel consumption and huge emissions.
HECS, just like the other under-development engines, promises to bring high-power, low fuel consumption and, above all, compliance with emission standards. The 1.6L 4 cylinder diesel engine can develop above 134 hp/l (that means that, at a minimum, it will punch out around 214 hp) and a fuel consumption that is 17 percent lower than in engines similar in displacement and power.
Soon, autoevolution will tell you more about the HECS engine. Until then, we challenge you to tell us whom the future of the engine belongs to: alternative, conventional or a mix between the two?
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