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Runtime: 11:44
0:00 BYD, Geely IC Engines Hit 46% Thermal Efficiency
1:34 ICE Is Very Inefficient
1:56 VinFast To Delay U.S. Plant Longer
2:46 EU & China Negotiate to Avoid Trade War
3:56 Cadillac Optiq Targets Global Market
5:06 BMW 3 Series Goes Hybrid-Only
6:31 China Invests in Solid-State Batteries
7:08 ZF Appoints Holdmann To Run Americas
7:40 Kenworth’s Super-Slick Class-8 Semi
9:11 Ford Teases Lightning-Based Super Truck
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BYD, GEELY IC ENGINES HIT 46% THERMAL EFFICIENCY
Two Chinese automakers want to lead the world in internal combustion technology. BYD and Geely each announced the development of new 1.5 liter engines that have hit 46% thermal efficiency, which we think would make them the most efficient in the world. The engines are for PHEV applications, but even without any battery assist, BYD claims its engine will deliver 62 miles to the gallon, or 2.9 liters per 100 kilometers. With a full tank and battery, it will deliver 2,100 kilometers of range, or more than 1,200 miles on the NEDC test procedure. The PHEV tech goes into two sedans, the Qin L and the Seal 06, which range in price from only $14,000 to $19,700. Geely’s engine will go in its Galaxy series and with Link & Co. and those models will be priced close to BYD’s. PHEVs are now the fastest growing segment in China and many see them as the perfect bridge technology to a pure BEV future. And it’s amazing to see that two Chinese automakers now have the most efficient IC engines. Up to now, Toyota and Hyundai claimed to have the highest thermal efficiency at around 41 or 42%.
ICE IS VERY INEFFICIENT
One thing to keep in mind, however, is that even at 46% thermal efficiency, that means that 54% of the energy in a gallon of gasoline gets wasted as heat and emissions. And no matter how efficient they get, IC engines are still very inefficient at converting fuel into power.
VINFAST TO DELAY U.S. PLANT LONGER
Vietnamese startup VinFast may once again delay its plant in the U.S. The company announced in 2022 plans for a $4 billion plant in North Carolina that would open in July of this year. But VinFast pushed back the start of operations to 2025 and now a source tells Reuters that it’s considering delaying the opening once again. VinFast has already broken ground on the plant, which will have an annual production capacity of 150,000 vehicles, but it doesn’t really need any extra capacity at the moment. It already has a plant in Vietnam that has the capacity to build 300,000 vehicles a year and last year VinFast sold fewer than 35,000 vehicles globally and only 1,000 were in North America.
EU & CHINA NEGOTIATE TO AVOID TRADE WAR
The EU could boost tariffs on Chinese EVs as soon as next week. But Reuters reports that EU and China officials are trying to come up with a deal to avoid a trade war. The EU could boost tariffs by as much as 25%, up from 10% today. Every additional 10% increase will cost Chinese EV makers about $1 billion based on 2023 trade data. Last week, China threatened to increase import tariffs on vehicles with engines 2.5L or larger to 25%. Analysts believe the two sides will make a deal because each market is important to automakers. However, we think that the EU is still likely to impose tariffs because of pressure from unions to preserve jobs.
CADILLAC OPTIQ TARGETS GLOBAL MARKET
We think the Cadillac Lyriq may be outselling all other luxury EVs in the U.S. market, and Cadillac wants to build on the momentum with the launch of the Optiq. It’s an all-wheel-drive, 2-row SUV that’s 5-inches longer than the Cadillac XT5. It features an 85-kWh battery pack that provides roughly 300 miles of range and it has 300 horsepower and 354 lb-ft of torque. Inside, a giant 33-inch screen dominates the dashboard. The Optiq is positioned below the Lyriq, and will start around $54,000 compared to $60,000 for the Lyriq. Customers also get three years of free Super Cruise. Cadillac is going after first-time luxury buyers in the 28 to 39-year-old age bracket, and it will sell the Optiq in ten regions of the world including Europe, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Egypt, Israel and Mexico. Cadillac sees the electric segment as a chance to rebuild the brand as one of the top luxury names in the industry.
BMW 3 SERIES GOES HYBRID-ONLY
The BMW 3 Series is going hybrid-only, except for the base 4-cylinder engines and the M3. However, these are not strong hybrids like most automakers are turning to in the EV slowdown. Models with the 2.0L 4-cylinder, an in-line 6-cylinder and all diesel engines feature a 48-volt mild-hybrid starter generator, which adds an extra 8 kW or 11 horsepower. So, those engines now produce anywhere from 150- all the way up to 386 horsepower, which can be sent through the rear wheels or all four. BMW also made upgrades to the plug-in hybrid version that’s offered in Europe. It now comes with a higher energy density 19.5 kWh battery pack, which provides about 80-100 kilometers or 50-60 miles of range depending on if it’s 2- or AWD. Minor chassis tuning and styling updates were made to the 3 Series as well, but the only other somewhat big change is a new curved display screen and BMW’s latest infotainment system. As for the M3, the biggest change is that the AWD Competition model gets a 20-horsepower bump thanks to a new engine management system, which takes total output to 523 horsepower.
CHINA INVESTS IN SOLID STATE BATTERIES
China dominates the global EV battery market and it wants to keep it that way. According to a report from China Daily, the country is investing nearly $830 million to develop all-solid-state batteries. The project was launched earlier this year and companies like CATL, BYD and Geely are working on the tech. Solid-state batteries are more powerful, durable, faster charging and safer than current EV batteries. However, they’re not currently ready for mass production and commercialization is still years away.
ZF APPOINTS HOLDMANN TO RUN AMERICAS
ZF appointed Dr. Peter Holdmann to run its North and South American operations. He joined the company in 2000 and rose through the management ranks. He had been running the chassis and quality group departments prior to this promotion. Holdmann replaces Martin Fischer who elected to retire from ZF as a board member. Fischer told Autoline that he’s interested in becoming the CEO of a company and so we expect to see him running a company at some point in the future.
KENWORTH’S SUPER-SLICK CLASS-8 SEMI
Heavy-duty truck maker Kenworth is showing off what it thinks the future of trucking could look like with the SuperTruck 2 concept. We would kind of describe it like a Tesla Semi on steroids. It has a central seating position, a side stair step like a large bus and the overall shape is similar. But the SuperTruck 2 also features a diesel engine and is much more focused on aerodynamics with fender and side skirts that go almost all the way to the ground. Presumably, its automatic air suspension system would prevent it from curb smacks. But the most distinctive feature to us is the fully enclosed front wheels. Kenworth was able to package the 48-volt mild-hybrid diesel powertrain from parent company PACCAR completely within the frame-rails of the truck, which allowed it to narrow the front track and tuck the wheels under the bodywork. The company claims a 136% improvement in freight efficiency, a nearly 56% improvement in engine efficiency and a 48% aero improvement. But to be fair this is compared to a truck that came out 2007 and was last produced in 2016. However, it did manage to average 12 MPG and that’s better than most semis today, which average about 6.5-7.5 MPG.
FORD TEASES LIGHTNING-BASED SUPER TRUCK
Ford once again teased its high-performance electric truck it’s going to race up Pikes Peak in June. It’s based on the F-150 Lightning but even in this teaser video you can see the upgrades are quite obvious and extensive. We see a massive rear wing hanging off the bed, super wide front fenders with large louvers on the top and a fully independent rear suspension. We think it will come with a similar setup used in last year’s Electric SuperVan 4.2, which made about 1,400 horsepower. But I’m sure we’ll learn more before the race.
And that brings us to the end of today’s show. Thanks for tuning in.
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That Kenworth looks like a return of Cab over Engine design. It looks very futuristic and cool but not sure how practical it would be. Tight maneuvers tend to take their toll on the front corners of so many trucks. Looks like getting access to the engine and front wheels would be a task. However, with almost doubling the mileage I think it would justify some inconvenience. For a large fleet that could be millions of dollars a year.
Good to see continued development on efficiency with IC engines. There’s probably an upper limit to efficiency but every improvement helps, not only with fuel economy but also CO2. We’ll have ICE around for a long time so getting them more efficient is important. These engines often use Atkinson or other cycles which need electric support to provide responsive performance.
VinFast seems to be focussed on wasting as much money as possible. At their volumes they can’t even be players in their local market. On what planet would they think the American market is easier?
The ICE engine, ‘low hanging fruit’, are the poppet valves. Replace them with rotating valves and port injection and the engine becomes simpler, smaller valve assembly, and less valve energy loss.
The only problem I see in the reporting about ICE engine efficiency is that Koenigsegg never published their tech in terms of thermal efficiency. However, I suspect that their 600HP 2.0L Turbo 3 cylinder engine is far more efficient than the 2 Chinese engines. And it was out in 2020 officially but has been around since 2016. It also is not constrained to be used only in PHEV applications. It is also multi-fuel as well including a carbon neutral alcohol fuel to add to how unimpressed we should be with what Toyota is doing for ICE carbon neutrality since it is already done and in production. With all that said, if we are to state the limit of ICE engines, this one from Koenigsegg is likely the limit.
https://www.autodaily.com.au/how-the-koenigsegg-camless-engine-works/
Are those Geely and BYD engines turbo, or N/A? Either way, they might be Atkinson/Miller timed which increases efficiency, at the expense of low rpm performance.
Years ago, there was a rotary valve 4-stroke model airplane engine sold. It didn’t make much power, but I’m sure power was not a priority in the design. Using regular glow fuel with a lot of oil, the valves were well lubricated, unlike if rotary valves were used in a car engine. I suspect short service life is part of why rotary valves are not used in car engines. Another valve type, rarely used, is sleeve valve. Knight cars used them for a while. There were some sleeve valve aero engines, I think most of them British. I suspect poppet valves have won out over rotary and sleeve valves for a reason. The must work better, and/or last longer.
That Koenigsegg engine is interesting. I’d like to hear one.
A rotary valve 4-stroke engine. These engines are from 30-40 years ago. They are smooth and quiet, but heavy and not very piwerful.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/273189141535?epid=7016977745&itmmeta=01HZ3DTA669KGTM5E5EE0ABE0Z&hash=item3f9b577c1f:g:g7IAAOSw2fpassPU&itmprp=enc%3AAQAJAAAA8Pyhh550yJTfI%2Fj3aVp5tKLhaZrTUGddLdDbJFzTwhhnKw6SX6MYznDdZeQRS3MsMARzZhiikYHaMGjOzCMvgzZ4lhs3GdLL46%2BHPobfVX9%2B28hV5N8dqXLEesfBKJrGfaPR5hy0pTvDxq5Ov2OEiTBnYmUWXMFiqZgIhEBcmWDxFbtfvEJgHA%2BWYpABNa24PtwFfryJeUi%2FoZr4iiuXk7BHJc4ZJsmYtncs3V0RjxguiJGEWmFYJWcJ1POZvQgHb1Se6YhPRHp4lg75OQIX91CGJ3qqmxytqhUv7m%2FHccTWgd%2FgDCwNGdvFxlehb5mT0g%3D%3D%7Ctkp%3ABk9SR5Sj6e34Yw
But can rotary engine make and improve on thier poor emissions?
Norm- They are talking about rotary valve engine not a rotary engine. And I think with the improvements in turbos and the seals that can manage the heat the rotary valve engine might have some real promise. Their biggest downfall was getting a good seal that can handle the heat of the exhaust ports. Have to wonder if a rotary intake and poppet exhaust wouldn’t make sense. Would cut some of the inefficiency of the valvetrain.
I suspect one reason for almost universal use of poppet valves, is that they allow desired combustion chamber shape. Also, could rotary valves replicate ramp profile as with a camshaft, or hydraulic valve operation?
You recover a lot of the power used to compress the valve spring on the “back side” of the cam lobe, especially with the now commonly used roller followers, but still, according to an SAE article “Valve train system is one major contributor to engine overall friction loss and is approximately 30% of total engine friction at lower speed and approximately 20 % at higher engine speed.”
https://www.sae.org/publications/technical-papers/content/2022-28-0074/
Back in the 90s, There was a 2 stroke engine from an Australian company called Orbital Engine Corporation. It used electronic actuated exhaust valves perfectly timed for proper emissions which was unheard of tech at the time. It also used direct injection which was unheard of for the 90s as well. It also used computer controlled direct oil injection which was a significant improvement on the old mechanical systems used by SAAB. The concept was developed by Robert Sarich in Australia who was a famous Australian inventor/engineer. At the time Ford was testing it in their Aspire vehicle. That engine was ULEV compliant, lighter, more powerful, cheaper, and more fuel efficient than Fords KIA derived Aspire 4 stroke engine. According to reports at that time, it was free of NVH concerns and was a dream to drive apparently. They all had a similar tag line to their articles, “all the power, none of the smoke”. If modern tech was applied to it today, that engine would be an efficiency superstar.
Sadly 2-Stroke was banned as a technology platform by California CARB because people think of lawn equipment with pre-mixed fuel belching blue smoke and not high efficiency ultra low emissions cars. So the Aspire soldiered on with a higher polluting 4 stroke motor with poor performance for its entire production run and the decision by CARB made the environment worse. Orbital Engine Company soldiered on making direct injection injectors for modern engines so at least some good came from it.
It looks like the Orbital engine worked like a power steering pump in reverse.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarich_orbital_engine#/media/File:US3787150-2-coloured.png
For a two-stroke engine, whether piston or “orbital,” to be clean, it would need forced induction, so it could have a crank case without the fuel charge going through it. My sister’s friend had a two-stroke Saab which used premix fuel. Some later ones had oil injection similar to two stroke motorcycles, like a Yamaha RD400 I had.