When almost all brands were aimed at downsizing, Mazda continues, today, offering higher displacement engines, as we have seen in the updated Mazda3.
And is that the signature of Hiroshima does not stop seeking the most efficient consumption improving all aspects of a car, such as its weight, regeneration of kinetic energy for auxiliary systems, etc. The next step in the concept and technology we know as SKYACTIV will be without spark plugs in gasoline engines. Yes, as if it were a diesel.
An old technology updated
Several are the marks in having experimented with the ignition without sparkplugs in a gasoline engine (Mercedes, GM, Volkswagen), but nobody never dared to apply that idea to a series car. This technology, known as “Homogeneous-Charge Compression Ignition” (HCCI), allows a gasoline engine to operate without the need for plugs. And Mazda would be, according to Nikkei, the first manufacturer to propose this technology in a series model.
The next Mazda3 would be the first to equip a propeller of this type, while the rest of the range would adopt later. It would be a very radical change in the concept of Skyactiv technologies. So far, Mazda has been improving and refining known technologies, but we must not forget that Mazda and “groped the ground” with this technology three years ago.
How does HCCI work?
In a gasoline engine, the spark plugs ignite the air-fuel mixture, whereas in a HCCI engine, the mixture is ignited by the pressure to which it is subjected (or rather by the heat generated by the enormous pressure Experience), as in a diesel engine.
Some speak of a compression ratio of 18: 1. Although it is logical, in Nikkei (newspaper that got this exclusive), do not venture to give such specific data. However, they do explain that this engine would allow up to 30% less fuel consumption compared to the same spark-ignition engine and would thus offer a significant reduction in emissions.
Will it serve to mitigate the lack of hybrids and electric in the range?
With a current range that lacks hybrid or electric models, the development of HCCI technology may seem like an attempt to fill that gap, however Mazda has confirmed on several occasions that it will begin to manufacture its first electric car in 2019, while the hybrid Plug-in would arrive in 2021. Of course, Mazda will do so in collaboration with Toyota. If Mazda finally dares to launch an HCCI engine, it would be an ideal propeller for a hybrid model, or even an extended range electric.
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