Apparently while sweeping under the rug, the US Government located $187 million dollars and decided to dole it out in the form of grants to companies that build engines. The money is to be used for projects that revolve around increasing fuel economy. One project was granted $7.7 million, is being run by General Motors, and according to the Reuters report, sounds a lot like Smokey Yunick’s controversial “hot vapor” engine.
Diesel builders like Cummins and Navistar got large chunks of money to develop fuel cell technology for large trucks, aerodynamic improvements for said trucks, and ways to reduce engine idling.
Chrysler was given a portion of cash to develop a “flexible” combustion engine for the mini-van that will be “downsized” and turbocharged. Ford was given money to refine their direct injection technology, and to develop a mid-sized to large sedan that will get 25 percent better mileage, and quick.
By far though the two coolest projects are being worked on by GM and Bosch. For Bosch it is the development of a high-compression, turbocharged, homogeneous-charge, compression-ignition gas motor. For GM, the government is greasing the rails for them to develop an engine, “that uses lean combustion and active heat management, as well as a novel emissions control system, to improve the fuel economy of a 2010 Malibu demonstration vehicle by 25 percent,” according to Reuters. The GM project sounds like Yunick’s final obsession, the “hot vapor” engine.
It will be awesome to see what GM comes up with on that and if it ever sees the light of day.
LINK: US Government Doles Out Cash for Cleaner Motors
