Car engines squeeze power out of every drop of gas

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http://www.usatoday.com/money/autos/...s_N.htm?csp=34

Car engines squeeze power out of every drop of gas

By Chris Woodyard, USA TODAY

DETROIT ? Looking to cut gasoline consumption by up to 20%, automakers aren't just rolling out pricey diesel-powered models or gas-electric hybrids.

General Motors (GM) , Ford Motor (F) and others are launching big initiatives to get more mileage out of what they sell now: tweaking internal-combustion engines with turbochargers and a technology called gasoline direct injection. The goal is to make fuel-stingy small engines perform like big ones.

"There is still a lot left in those engines," says Daniel Hancock, vice president of GM Powertrain. "It's the near-term way to improve fuel economy."

Direct injection makes fuel burning more efficient by squirting it straight into combustion chambers instead of mixing it with air in an intake port. Turbos, tiny windmills spun by otherwise wasted exhaust, run compressors that blast air into intakes to mix with fuel.

Best for car buyers, vehicles with the modified engines cost thousands less than hybrids or the coming wave of clean diesels. Leading the way:

?Ford Motor. The automaker just announced EcoBoost, an initiative to use turbochargers and direct injection across the lineup to cut fuel consumption by up to 20% and limit greenhouse gas emissions.

"We are going to have 500,000 vehicles in the next five years that will have this enabling technology," said Ford CEO Alan Mulally in an interview at the North American International Auto Show.

EcoBoost will make its debut in the Lincoln MKS, on sale next year. Its twin-turbo 3.5-liter V-6 will have 340 horsepower, equivalent to a V-8. Ford also showed off the technology in its Explorer America concept vehicle at the show, which runs through Tuesday.

?GM. Hancock says that direct-injected, turbocharged engines will start sweeping through the automaker's lineup. It started with a 2-liter, 260-horsepower four-cylinder engine on the Pontiac Solstice and Saturn Sky sports cars. The same engine is in the SS version of the Chevrolet HHR small sport utility that just went on sale. It will come to the Chevy Cobalt SS that hits showrooms in April.

?Mazda. The CX-7 crossover has the same 2.3-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine with direct gasoline injection as the high-performance MazdaSpeed3. It provides as much power as the automaker's 3.7-liter V-6, which doesn't have the advanced features. The 2.3 is "considerably smaller and lighter, which allows it to be packaged in a smaller vehicle," spokesman Jeremy Barnes says. It was chosen for the CX-7 because the vehicle is meant to be small and nimble.

?Audi. A 2-liter, turbocharged four-cylinder with direct gasoline injection powers the A3 five-door hatchback, A4 sedan and TT sports car. "You feel the power of a V-6," Audi Chairman Rupert Stadler says.

Experts say that hopping up today's car engines with turbos and direct injection is a common-sense way to increase gas mileage. Hybrids typically deliver 30% in gasoline savings depending on the model, compared with the modified internal-combustion engine's 20%, says Brett Smith of the Center for Automotive Research. Adding direct injection and turbos to internal-combustion engines typically costs automakers about $1,000 per vehicle, compared with $3,000 for diesel engines and $4,000 for a gas-electric hybrid.

Ford estimates its EcoBoost system will pay for itself in gas savings in less than three years for drivers who log about 15,000 miles a year, compared with a seven-year payback for diesel engines and 11 to 12 years for hybrids, says Dan Kapp of Ford powertrain research.

But getting consumers to accept the new technology won't always be easy. Turbos have been around for years and were rejected by some drivers for their balky performance, dubbed turbo lag. The new ones, engineers say, are much improved.

Automakers' embrace of making small engines seem bigger for efficiency is a turnabout: In recent years, the trend to raise gas mileage has been toward making big engines seem smaller, such as cutting off use of cylinders not needed in low-demand situations.

Now, direct-injected engines with turbos "is the technology that is coming on big," Smith says.