Mazda is Creating Gasoline Engines with Better Emissions

We’re familiar with the fun and active driving of the Mazda brand of vehicles, but what you might not know, is this brand is working on engines that could be amazing.

Movement Toward Alternative Fuel

The movement away from gasoline engines and toward electric vehicles and other alternative fuel sources has begun and we see that a pure EV or fuel cell vehicle (FCV) has emissions that offer no harmful emissions into the atmosphere at all. EV models have no emissions and operate much the same way a Power Wheels toy vehicle does with a battery pack powering an electric motor.

The FCV makes use of hydrogen for the fuel source and the only emission offered by this type of vehicle is water vapor, which produces a zero-emissions reading for the atmosphere. When it comes to gasoline-powered vehicles, the emissions produced are harmful to the atmosphere and these vehicles are responsible for much of the smog and pollution we see in our air quality today.

These vehicles have been such a problem that many major cities around the world have begun to reduce the number of typical vehicles on the road to move toward EV and FCV models to reduce the pollution in the air. When you look at what it takes to have an EV powered up and you find an internal combustion engine that’s extremely efficient the conversation changes.

Mazda Takes its Turn

Mazda has found ways to make engines more efficient and more fun for our driving experience at the same time. Recently, the brand let us know about the SkyActiv-X technology that will be used for the future to give us the benefits of a diesel and gasoline engine together, but that’s not where they are stopping.

Their newest engine technology is the SkyActiv-3 which is expected to reach a thermal efficiency of 56 percent when driving. This would be the first time ever that an internal combustion engine was able to return most of the fuel energy into power rather than into waste.

SkyActiv Technology from Mazda

If they are able to achieve this incredible feat, Mazda can claim their new SkyActiv-3 engine is able to be cleaner for the environment than an EV model. This is a claim that would take some education and understanding because while the two run together, the fact that an internal combustion engine still offers 44 percent emissions makes it one that expels more into the air than an EV.

The conversation then turns to how the electricity is produced that charge the EV on a nightly basis. Right now, most of the electricity we have in our homes and businesses is produced by burning fossil fuels. The areas of the world where electricity is received from wind, solar, or hydroelectric production will certainly sway this argument in favor of the EV, but we have a long way to go to get to this point.

Thermal Efficiency is the Goal

If Mazda can achieve this thermal efficiency, it will be an amazing accomplishment and go a long way toward ensuring we continue to have internal combustion engines in the future. The argument continues, but there’s no denying the admiration we must have for the SkyActiv-3 technology if it comes to fruition.