Ethanol-boost direct injection engine breakthrough: higher-than-gasoline fuel efficiency; V6 prototype suitable for large SUVs

In Michigan, management at Ricardo said it had developed an ethanol-boosted direct injection technology that exceeds gasoline engine efficiency and approaches levels previously reached only by diesel engines.

According to management, “The EBDI engine project is a great example because it turns the gasoline-ethanol equation upside down. It has the performance of diesel, at the cost of ethanol, and runs on ethanol, gasoline, or a blend of both.”

Current flex-fuel engines pay a fuel economy penalty of about 30 percent compared to gasoline when operated on ethanol blends such as E85. The EBDI engine substantially improves ethanol’s efficiency, and performs at a level comparable to a diesel engine.

The engine is currently available in a 3.2 liter V6 engine prototype that could replace a large SUV engine, and is the product of a collaboration between Behr, Bosch, Delphi, Federal-Mogul, GW Castings and Honeywell.

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