I thought this might of interest to those looking at electric or hybrid vehicles. Technology may produce surprises and who knows what the private industry will produce to meet consumers’ demands. Here is the article from AutoWeek, January 20, 2017:
“Mazda wants its future Skyactiv engines to be as clean as EVs
In-development gasoline engines could compete with electric powertrains when energy supply chain is taken into account
Mazda is developing a gasoline engine it says will be as clean as an electric vehicle — at least when the supply chain of energy creation is calculated into it.
Mazda’s powertrain chief revealed the plan during an automotive technical conference here, dubbing the future engine technology Skyactiv-3.
The nomenclature signals that Mazda is working on another generation of Skyactiv high-compression engines.
The first generation, called Skyactiv-G, debuted in 2011. The second generation, Skyactiv-X, will reach the market in the fiscal year ending March 31, 2019.
After that, the automaker will prioritize boosting the thermal efficiency of its engines, said Mitsuo Hitomi, Mazda’s managing executive officer in charge of powertrain. Doing so reduces the amount of combustion energy lost to heat while increasing the amount harnessed to power the wheels…”
Doug Thomas 