Can you imagine a V8 engine that is capable of disconnecting six of its eight cylinders to operate, temporarily, as a twin? It seems incredible, but General Motors has already release date for this technology, which will land in showrooms in less than five years. Imagine an immense SUV , with a powerful V8 engine, traveling “to sail” with a negligible consumption. The creators of this technology believe that even an SUV with about three tons would need only 30 horsepower to maintain highway cruising speeds. That said, why waste energy keeping all cylinders working? Why in Detroit and look at this technology as the salvation of the V8 engines and the revolution of the internal combustion engine?
Why off six of the eight cylinders of your engine? Very simple, saving fuel and reducing emissions.
The cylinder deactivation technology is not new to the automotive industry, much less. In the market there are already numerous motors that are capable of disconnecting two of its four cylinders, and even four of its eight cylinders to save energy. The reason why manufacturers bet on this engine is none other than fuel economy and emissions reduction .
The cylinder deactivation systems only work in very specific conditions . Situations like to stay for kilometers on flat, at a cruising speed, eg 120 km / h. On engines we tested with this technology, the transition from four to two cylinders are produced in a fully transparent manner to the driver. That is, hard (unless you have a very good perception of what happens) you percatarás that your car has been working with half-cylinder, except for some indicator in the instrument that usually warn us of what happened.
General Motors is already testing a prototype, a GMC Yukon Denali 2,600 kilograms and 425 hp that is capable of traveling “to sail” with only two cylinders and 30 CV.
Returning to the technology of General Motors, the Detroit are working with Delphi Automotive, and a startup in Silicon Valley called Tula Technology Inc. (which already we have spoken above), which is handling algorithms will oversee its operation. best thing is that this technology is already being tested on a prototype, a GMC Yukon Denali , an SUV with 2,600 kilograms 6.2-liter V8 engine and 425 horsepower . This prototype is already capable of off six of its eight cylinders, and maintain cruising speeds with only 30 hp. Under these conditions, the creators of the technology announced that fuel could reach 21%.
obviously this technology requires adding complexity to the engine . Its creators believe it more expensive engine 300 to $ 600, between 263 and 526 euros, depending on the current exchange rate. A reasonable cost, when it comes to what is to save fuel in road journeys and meet increasingly stringent pollution standards.
Evolution or Revolution?
In the market there are not only able to disconnect motors half of its cylinders, but also automatic transmissions are disengaged to drive “sailing” and reduce drag losses.
Although this technology is announced as a revolution in Detroit, much less believe it is such a thing . Nor will the salvation of V8 engines, which probably comes with plug-in hybrid systems, which allow a vehicle to move in electric mode on a daily basis, and realize their full potential when we want to extract gas consuming performance of its V8 . Moreover, in the market we have seen very similar solutions.
That an eight-cylinder vehicle travels using only two cylinders, it does not seem so surprising, that seems exciting technology. In the market there already enough models that are able to maintain cruising speeds, again momentarily, without any cylinder. I explain. The driving Sail implanted in many models can automatically disconnect the transmission, simplifying a lot, driving without wheels are physically coupled to the motor. A Porsche 911 PDK , for example, automatically disengages the transmission in certain situations, so that the car “holds” on slopes less light, by reducing drag losses. The whole process automatically without the driver being aware of the situation carried out (though there are such clear clues that lead us to know that the change PDK has been disengaged, as the counter show us a sudden drop the regime to idle).
In any case, know that these V8 engines capable of operating with only two cylinders, are an interesting technology that we have to follow very closely from now.
Source: Automotive News
In motor: Will we see 3-cylinder engine with cylinder deactivation? | Tula and GM are on the verge of revolutionizing the cylinder deactivation
See the complete gallery motor