Ford Motor Company is leading the CO2 Reduction through Emissions Optimisation project, which has received funding from the Technology Strategy Board.
Other partners in the project include Jaguar Land Rover, ITM Power, Johnson Matthey, Revolve Technologies, Combustion, and the universities of Bradford, Liverpool and Birmingham.
Catalytic converters have often been fitted to modern engines in order for vehicles to have minimal impact on air quality.
According to ITM Power, much progress has been made to improve the fuel economy of vehicles, but there is still an impact of about four per cent due to emissions-control systems.
This project aims to redesign the engine and after-treatment as a complete system, meeting legislative, customer and business requirements while minimising CO2 levels.
This will be achieved through what are claimed to be novel aftertreatment techniques, the on-board generation and use of hydrogen, and the development and application of new optimisation tools.
Three vehicles will be built to demonstrate the potential of the technology − petrol and diesel cars and a diesel hybrid bus.
The target is a four per cent improvement in CO2 by 2015, potentially rising to 15 per cent by 2025.
The internal combustion engine may still have a few surprises up its sleeve for the automotive industry. Click here to read more (subscription required).
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