Every Way Automakers Are Fighting To Keep The Combustion Engine Alive (2024)

The automobile industry is an ever-changing entity, but this is true now more than ever as cars balance on the precipice of becoming fully electric. A lot has changed since the Nissan Leaf and Tesla Model S helped bring electric vehicles into the mainstream in 2010 and 2012. EVs are everywhere, but automakers have a few tools in their arsenal that keep the internal combustion engine (ICE) relevant. This is good news for enthusiasts and even the environment, as some of these solutions get much closer to the elusive zero-emissions car than ever before.

Below, we'll examine the tactics automakers are using to keep internal combustion alive in a world that's increasingly abandoning it.

Downsizing and Turbocharging: Big Power From Small Engines

Automakers have been put in a tricky situation. Governments across the globe want them to build more environmentally friendly engines, while customers want improved fuel consumption but the same amount of power.

The solution is to downsize engines to make them more fuel-efficient but add a turbocharger to raise power and torque levels to where customers expect them. This recipe has proven to be extremely successful, and several epic cars have downsized engines.

Forced induction has been around for as long as the mass-produced automobile. Turbos work by using waste exhaust gases to spin turbines connected on a common axis, forcing more clean air back into the engine. A higher concentration of air going in allows the engine to use more fuel and air mixture to make a bigger explosion and, therefore, more power.

Although historically used primarily to add power to existing engines, nowadays, these turbochargers are becoming increasingly common in smaller engines to increase their power and torque up to the levels of larger, naturally aspirated engines. To meet emissions and fuel economy targets or regulations, many automakers are following this practice up to and including premium performance brands such as Lamborghini. The Italian brand will swap the Huracan's iconic 5.2-liter V10 for a twin-turbocharged V8. Downsizing also applies to cars like the sixth-gen BMW 7-Series that lost its 6.6-liter twin-turbocharged V12 in favor of a 4.4-liter twin-turbocharged V8 for the current generation. Another even more shocking example of downsizing is the 2024 Mercedes-AMG C63 model that swapped the 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 for a 2.0-liter, turbocharged four-cylinder. This new turbocharged four-cylinder is one of the most power-dense engines ever made.

Synthetic Fuels May Be The Way Forward

Synthetic fuel is theoretically carbon-neutral can be used with internal combustion engines, and can even be distributed over the same existing network. It still releases harmful emissions into the air just like regular gasoline and diesel. However, the benefit of synthetic fuel is that it is made using CO2 claimed back from the atmosphere. In short, it's not putting anything into the air that wasn't already there before.

Synthetic fuel can be created by harnessing hydrogen (H2) and CO2 and using them to synthesize gasoline, diesel, or fuels for other industries, such as aviation.

The magic is down to the use of carbon dioxide in the creation of the fuel, which is roughly proportional to the amount of carbon dioxide produced when the fuel gets burnt, making the fuel carbon-neutral. Also, the hydrogen (released from water, H2O) gets harvested using renewable energy such as wind, which further reduces the impact of the production process on the environment.

Porsche has made headlines in recent times following a push to develop its own e-fuel as a part of its multipronged attempt to bring down emissions and meet European deadlines on carbon production. The German automaker built a synthetic fuel plant in Punta Arenas, Chile, in collaboration with HIF Global, Siemens Energy, ExxonMobil, and other international partners. Pictured above is the plant in Chile. In that location, renewable energy, such as wind, can produce the hydrogen needed for the process.

Since the European Union has a zero carbon emissions target for 2035 (for passenger cars and light commercial vehicles), the use of e-fuels could enable manufacturers to continue to produce cars with internal combustion engines, if they run exclusively on e-fuel. To be carbon-neutral, the fuel must use the same proportion of carbon dioxide as is released when burnt, while the hydrogen must be released using renewable energy. These are hurdles that must be overcome, but the technology is moving forward. The biggest synthetic fuel plant ever will be built in the USA, and it will start producing go-juice in 2027.

Hybrid Cars Are An Interim Solution

A hybrid car is equipped with a traditional gas-powered engine and a hybrid system, which usually consists of one or two electric motors and a small battery. The basic idea is that electric motors supplement the performance of the gas engine, which not only provides more power but also increases fuel efficiency. A smaller engine can also be used when the hybrid hardware is taken into account, further improving the car in all the right areas. Certain hybrids can run on electric power alone until the battery is depleted, which produces zero direct emissions. Overall, rather than eliminate carbon pollution, hybrids help to reduce direct emissions while also saving fuel. There are two common types of hybrid setups: Hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) and Plugin hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs).

HEVs - Hybrid Electric Vehicles

Regular hybrids have been around for longer, and they can't be charged using a socket. The only way to charge them is via regenerative braking. Once the battery is depleted, the car must first harvest energy before it can assist again. A prime example is the Toyota RAV4 Hybrid, which combines a 2.5-liter, naturally-aspirated four-cylinder engine with a dual-motor setup powering the rear wheels. According to the US Department of Energy's EPA ratings, the 2024 Toyota RAV4 Hybrid offers up to 39 MPG combined, far higher than the regular RAV4, which offers up to 30 MPG combined.

PHEVs - Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicles

Plug-in hybrids are a game changer. By plugging the car into a charger, the battery can be topped up on demand. Like an electric vehicle, PHEVs can run on electricity alone. Unlike EVs, however, they have much smaller battery packs and can only cover 30 to 50 miles currently.

An impressive example of a plug-in hybrid's flexibility is the Toyota RAV4 Prime. The RAV4 Prime offers up to 302 hp and can hit 60 mph in 5.5 seconds. It can also run on electric power alone for up to 42 miles. With PHEVs, you get the best of both worlds. The 42 miles of electric power is more than enough for the average daily commute in the USA, and if you have a Level 2 home charger, you can go for weeks without having to put gas in the car. But if you want to go on a longer trip, the gas-powered engine is still there.

A Cleaner Burning Process

Mazda Skyactiv-X is a variation of the brand's ubiquitous Skyactiv direct-injection engines. The Skyactiv-X engine uses a version of compression ignition technology called hom*ogeneous charge compression ignition (HHCI). It is similar to how diesel engines work. The fuel/air mixture in the cylinder gets ignited when compressed. This is thanks to its high compression ratio, which works best for low-power situations, increasing fuel economy since it can run leaner. A traditional spark plug helps to control the ignition process (SI) where required and takes over when the car runs under harder loads.

Mazda wants to expand on what it has already built, as we reported back in 2023. It wants to include a separate, secondary spark plug and auxiliary combustion chamber. Extra fuel gets set aside in the second chamber and gets ignited separately via the second spark plug. It both speeds up the main detonation and also burns additional gases which in turn reduces harmful emissions. It also helps to control the transition between the HHCI phase of the engine under light loads and the traditional SI phase when it gets activated.

Hydrogen Combustion And Hydrogen Fuel Cell

There are two ways automakers can use hydrogen. Hydrogen can be used as a fuel to keep internal combustion alive, or it can be used to create electricity, which is then used to drive an electric motor. It doesn't matter which way it is used, the only byproduct is water.

In a hydrogen combustion car like the Toyota H2 Concept, the car is equipped with a traditional engine but with high-pressure hydrogen direct injection. The engine burns hydrogen in the same way it burns gas, but without harmful emissions. The hydrogen fuel cell is the more common powertrain of the two. In this scenario, you have a much smaller battery driving traditional EV components. The reason why the battery can be smaller is that a chemical reaction within the powertrain uses hydrogen to create electricity, which is then fed to the battery. There's no need to recharge.

Hydrogen might seem like the ultimate solution, but there are several problems:

• While hydrogen burns cleanly, the process of producing it is not.
• In a hydrogen fuel cell vehicle, hydrogen needs to be stored as a gas. These tanks are large and take up a lot of space.
• In a hydrogen combustion vehicle, it needs to be stored at -253o Celsius/-423o Fahrenheit. Any higher than that, and it evaporates.
• The hydrogen refueling network is small, and only decreasing in size.

Porsche Deserves An Honorable Mention

Porsche, which we looked at earlier, is pushing hard for a gasoline-inclusive future for its 911 model. It is aiming for an 80/20 balance of electric and internal combustion models in 2030, with the minority portion likely to include the 911. The company's iconic model and one of the most popular sports cars in the world is still powered by pistons and Porsche would like to keep it that way for the purists, but various environmental targets and deadlines make that difficult. Still, Porsche keeps on knocking it out of the park with new models like the 911 GTS Hybrid.

For now, e-fuels are exactly the right kind of loophole to get around the EU's 2035 ICE ban and other bans on internal combustion engines in new cars in the US and Canada. After an initial setback, Germany and Italy managed to ensure that after the deadline, e-fuels would enable cars like the 911 to continue with piston engines.

Porsche is doing more for synthetic fuel than any other manufacturer because it's the ultimate solution. The governments of the world get cleaner cars, and gearheads like us get to keep our pistons. Synthetic fuel can also be distributed using the existing refueling network, and you don't have to make any changes to a car in order for it to run on the stuff.