Why Gasoline Isn’t Going Away Any Time Soon

Whether you’re an environmentalist or not, by now you’ve no doubt been deluged with media stories of how the environment is going to hell in a hand basket and that we’re in big trouble as a species. You’ve also probably seen or heard about new “Green” automotive technologies, like fuel cells and electric cars that promise to eliminate the pollution and turn the planet into a giant wildlife refuge.

Don’t hold your breath. Why? Because the single biggest threat to alternate automotive technologies is the internal combustion engine. Why is the antique four-cycle “Otto” engine, with its “suck, press, bang and blow” power delivery still around? There are other options. Gas turbines were tried as early as 1949 and in the 60s Chrysler took a serious look at production. In Germany, NSU tried Felix Wankel’s odd rotary design and Mazda developed it further, to the point where at one time in the 70s everything in the company’s lineup was rotary, including the pickups. GM tried everything from fuel cells (in 1966!) to Wankels and even an engine that burned powdered coal. Electric cars have been around since the turn of the last century and a small group of dedicated, if misguided, enthusiasts still tinker with steam. And we’re still burning gasoline and diesel in piston engines. Not because they’re “better,” but because after a hundred and twenty years of continuous development, they’ve been refined to the point where anything that replaces it has to be very, very good to get consumer acceptance. How good? A 3.0 litre stock-block Repco V-8 was Jack Brabham’s title-winning Formula 1 powerplant in 1966, producing 310 horsepower. A 3.5 Litre J-series Honda engine (Acura RL circa 2005) generates 290 horsepower with full emissions, street drivability and the ability to use 87-octane fuel. In Europe, common-rail diesel technology is advancing so fast that they’re showing up in unexpected places like sports car racing, where a diesel Audi won this year’s Le Mans 24 hour classic. All combustion-based engines convert heat into propulsion, and the more efficient they are, the less is wasted in the exhaust and cooling system.

You older techs might have noticed how modern engines get away with smaller cooling systems. In ten years, there may not be enough waste heat to run the heater without bypassing the radiator. Combine those high levels of efficiency with the power density of liquid fuels like diesel and gasoline, and Buck Rogers technology like hydrogen fuel cells and long-range electric cars is still decades away, at least in mass production.

And for most Canadian driving, it’s hard to justify the complexity and cost of hybrid systems relative to the fuel friendly they deliver, at least at current fuel prices. What does this all mean? High effiency internal combustion engines are here for at least a couple of decades yet, so don’t throw away your compression or leak-down tester yet. If I’m wrong, drop me a line around 2020.