Source: Growth Energy
WASHINGTON, DC — It was announced today at the Washington Auto Show that Ricardo and Growth Energy are to collaborate on a project which will bring together for the first time the shared skills and expertise of a global leader in automotive and clean energy technology with America’s foremost body representing US ethanol.
Together these two partners aim to demonstrate that a highly optimized engine fueled on ethanol can provide a cost-effective, low-carbon, high-fuel economy alternative to fossil fuel.
Two demonstrator vehicles are to be produced incorporating Ricardo’s EBDI engine technology, showing that even for larger vehicles, extreme optimization of ethanol combustion can enable engine downsizing of the order of 50 percent and still deliver substantial fuel economy and CO2 emission improvements from a cost-effective, high performance, inherently low emission powertrain. Based on test work already carried out, Ricardo estimates that a fuel economy improvement of up to 30 percent is possible with no loss of power or performance, using a downsized EBDI engine in place of currently available gasoline powertrain technology.
The project will use Ricardo’s EBDI flex fuel engine, developed from a production V6 gasoline engine, to repower two GMC Sierra 3500 HD pickup trucks, each with a curb weight of 6000lbs. Ricardo and Growth Energy have the objective of demonstrating through this project:
- the market-readiness Ricardo’s EBDI technology, which optimizes flex-fuel vehicles to burn ethanol with consumer value, horsepower and fuel economy that is comparable to gasoline, and;
- domestic ethanol’s potential, as a high-octane, low-carbon and renewable fuel, to lessen American dependence on gasoline refined from carbon-heavy oil imported from overseas at growing risk to US economic and national security.
Following completion of the ten month project, the demonstrator vehicles will be available for a range of demonstration, test and evaluation exercises to be organized by Growth Energy and Ricardo.
View images from the Auto Show at Growth Energy's flickr page: GrowthEnergy.org/flickr.
