Ford economic cars to benefit from laser ignition
Posted Aug 09
Research recently completed in England has clearly shown that igniting fuel with a laser instead of spark plugs improves the overall efficency of an internal combustion engine. If laser ignition were built into Ford's economic cars it would definitely further improve their fuel consumption.
This interesting research was carried out at Liverpool University where Ford engineers and university scientists joined forces to do the testing. There is obviously not a lot of further development to do to the technology because Ford believes they can begin producing cars with laser ignition within just 2 years!
Not only did the researchers find that laser ignition required less fuel when starting an engine and during subsequent running of it, but they also discovered other benefits. Laser ignition was found to be more reliable under extremely cold temperatures and also was less of a strain on the car's battery than spark plugs. Due to their unique properties laser beams offer other interesting possibilities that it might be possible to take advantage of. The beam can be split to create many points of ignition within an engines cylinder. A laser beam can also be bounced back on to a sensor where it can be analysed to determine the fuel's properties. Data that could be gathered include the type and quality of fuel being combusted.
The technology will allow Ford to take a big step towards improving their economic cars. By implementing laser ignition across their fleet they'll also benefit from a reduction in their car's carbon dioxide output. This is something that all manufacturers desperately need to work on in the next few years to meet the tough new EU and US regulations which will soon come into effect.
Learn
Best Mileage CarsCar Fuel Mileage
Fuel efficiency figures explained
Improve Fuel Economy
Fuel efficiency on the web