Thursday 21st August 2008

Lotus High Octane Mix

Norfolk manufacturer continues to look at new fuels

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Boffins at Lotus Engineering are claiming that cars could run on biofuels more efficiently with a new research engine they have developed.

The car firm has teamed up with Queen's University Belfast and Jaguar Cars to develop a single cylinder engine prototype specially designed to run on sustainable bioethanol, synthetic methanol and petrol mixtures.

It stems from a research programme called Omnivore and should be unviled next January.

Currently, the drawback to choosing a 'flexifuel' car is that you get fewer miles to the gallon - the new engine will remove this difference.

At this year's Geneva Motor Show the company unveiled the Exige 270E Tri-fuel a 270bhp flex-fuel car capable of running on petrol, ethanol and methanol.

Mike Kimberley, chief executive of Lotus, said the company's engineers are not only working on developing more efficient vehicles but also all aspects of future fuels and for alternative powertrains that will accommodate alcohol fuels as they enter the market.

[tps23]

Good news, how long will it be to come to market?

[Sigh ok i can't resist an aside]
shame its taken the world reportedly going into melt down to develop this kind of technology. My mum will be pleased as her considerable collection of Gin (i'm sure alochol will be next on the list of "forecourt" fuel types) will "soon" be able to power her 15 year old honda accord estate...

[911deutschmarque]

A single cylinder engine hey?

What will they call the configuration?

V1?
Straight one?
Suffolk Punch?

Great technology all the same, can't wait to hear the engine note!!!!

[Fraz.K]

911deutschmarque how would it be a V1? Surely you would need to cylinders to make a V?

[Mclovin]

I wish they would hurry up and bring a cheap fuel car to the market instead of a constant stream of publicity about it.

[Neomagic]

911deutschmarque said:

A single cylinder engine hey?

What will they call the configuration?

V1?
Straight one?
Suffolk Punch?

Great technology all the same, can't wait to hear the engine note!!!!

Single?

lol there are loads of motorbikes out there with one cylinder.

[compact_23]

Atleast on the ' looks ' side of things, they've kept us petrol heads happy and not made it into some big ugly block

[vz-r_dave]

Neomagic said:

911deutschmarque said:

A single cylinder engine hey?

What will they call the configuration?

V1?
Straight one?
Suffolk Punch?

Great technology all the same, can't wait to hear the engine note!!!!

Single?

lol there are loads of motorbikes out there with one cylinder.

the "Lotus Exige Thumper"

hmmm doesnt really have that cutting edge lo

[A Scotsman]

A small Scottish company has already built an engine optimised to run on a range of fuels.

[cvegas]

A Scotsman said:

A small Scottish company has already built an engine optimised to run on a range of fuels.

A range of single malts?

[RizzoTheRat]

A German chap designed an engine to run on a range of fuels some years back, you might have heard of him, his name was Rudolf Diesel

[Frimley111R]

RizzoTheRat said:

A German chap designed an engine to run on a range of fuels some years back, you might have heard of him, his name was Rudolf Diesel

Never heard of him!