Development of engine solutions
Development of engine solutions Our research on engines aims to develop technological solutions leading to: reduced pollutant and carbon dioxide emissions; fuel economy; a widespread use of alternative non oil-derived fuels. Our research, testing and development activities have attained significant results, wich have been implemented in our cars. A concrete example is the Flexfuel technology, from which we have developed the TetraFuel® system that uses a single engine ECU to manage four different types of fuel (petrol, petrol + 25% alcohol, pure alcohol or natural gas), now available on the Fiat Siena Tetrafuel marketed in Brazil. Our strategic line for the development of new engine solutions is based on technological enrichment, encompassing the innovative Multiair® system, the Multijet 2 diesel, downsizing (with the two-cylinder engine), and hydrogen fuelled engines, a possibility which is being explored. The Multiair® system and the two-cylinder engine The innovation introduced in by the new Multiair® system for the electronic management of the intake valves makes it possible to increase the power and torque at low revs, and to achieve a 10% improvement in emissions and fuel economy. This system, to be fine-tuned by 2010, monitors the air intake in controlled ignition engines and does away with the need to fit the traditional throttle, making improved flexibility compared to mechanical timing systems. The two-cylinder engine applies downsizing to a new petrol engine currently being developed, the ‘Small Gasoline 900cc Engine’, that will ensure better fuel economy, reduced CO2 emissions and compliance with future Euro 5 and Euro 6 emission limits, coupled to the performance capabilities of bigger-sized engines. The shift from a traditional 4-cylinder engine to a 2-cylinder turbo equipped with the Multiair® system achieves a weight reduction of over 20%, while the space taken up in the engine compartment is reduced by 25% compared to a 4-cylinder engine having a similar power output. MultiJet 2 The next step in terms of innovative diesel engine solutions lies in the 'Multijet 2'. The new version of the Multijet reduces the time interval between the three injections, resulting in a reduction of up to 20% in NOx emissions and a further abatement of noise pollution. Hydrogen and natural gas/hydrogen For several years we have been working on the development of hydrogen fuelled engines. In 2006 we unveiled the Panda Hydrogen , an advanced prototype powered by Fuel Cells, with performances on par with those of an equivalent model running on petrol. The use of natural gas mixed with oxygen in internal combustion engines may constitute an intermediate step. The gaseous state of the two fuels makes it possible to profit from the natural gas distribution technologies developed in the automotive and infrastructural sectors. This as a basis for a gradual advent of hydrogen in the field of transport. We are already testing successfully the use of hydrogen mixed with natural gases in a proportion of 30%, with excellent results in terms of engine performances and an 11% reduction in CO2 emissions compared to natural gas.