New engine design could double fuel efficiency of cars

The UK-based Nevis Engine Company is close to completing work on the second phase of testing of its functioning prototype of a new exhaust valve and intake system that’s claimed to be able to nearly double the fuel efficiency attained by conventional internal combustion engines.

At the heart of the design is both a new combustion cycle, labeled the ‘Bortone Cycle’ after the engine's inventor, Cesare Bortone, as well as the actual engine itself, which will be available in engine configurations ranging from single to eight cylinder formats. The design is said to achieve near-perfect combustion at all levels of power demands, such as city or highway driving, and it can be configured to run on petrol, diesel, bio-fuels or even hydrogen.

Some of the key aspects of the new design include the doughnut-shaped pistons, low engine weight and size, and the unique Bortone Cycle, which has six times the number of power strokes per revolution of a traditional four-stroke engine. To put its performance into perspective, a two cylinder version displacing 1.0L is estimated to develop peak output of 250hp. Let's hope it's not all pie in the sky.