Is Digital Symbiosis ICE Making a Comeback?

As vehicle technologies continue to develop toward sustainability and better efficiencies on a global scale, the automotive landscape is standing at a transformative precipice. Most, if not all, traditional engines are unable to provide enhanced fuel economy and environmental performance, making creative solutions more essential now than ever. Some still think a Digital Symbiosis Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) is a feasible solution. It has the potential to revolutionize transport of the future delivering major and remarkable advancement in fuel economy and emissions reductions.

This technology represents a big step in engine design. This Digital Symbiosis ICE operates with a self-adjusting Variable Compression Ratio (VCR), a feature that enables the engine to adapt to different driving conditions. Such adaptability means up to 50-percent improved fuel economy and a reduction of up to 30 percent in particulate matter (PM) emissions compared to conventional engines.

The idea is so much more than simply hitting regulatory standards. This engine enhances the strengths of internal combustion to deliver more power to the road with less noise and vibration. Improved combustion efficiency is significant for two-stroke engines, leading to a more complete and cleaner burn that further reduces pollutants.

VCR also offers stable performance that supports different systems by moderating peak cylinder pressure and temperature. This approach also supports a broader range of fuels—including combinations of new and conventional petroleum. And it could pave the way for a future where diverse energy sources are seamlessly integrated into the automotive industry.

 
 
 
 
 
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Challenges

When Nissan unveiled this technology in 2016, it didn’t exactly revolutionize the industry. Several decades and over 300 patents didn’t trump other existing technologies to increase efficiency when comparing the Infinity QX50 and its VC Turbo engine to others in its class. And there is an on-going NHTSA investigation into engine failure, knock, and metal shavings being found in the oil. Many, in fact, despise the engine – particularly the three-cylinder version in the Rogue. That said, Nissan is not giving up on the platform, which appears to be part of its three-pronged strategy for meeting emissions standards – the other two being CVT transmissions and EVs.

Hope for ICE

Thankfully the fate of ICE does not rely on simply the VCR technology. Huge advancements are coming with biofuels, which can make literally any internal combustion engine carbon neutral. A few years ago EngineLabs reported on Porsche and the methanol eFuel it is developing, and now there has been another breakthrough in alternative fuel manufacturing with the invention of CELF (co-solvent enhanced lignocellulosic fractionation). University of California Riverside Associate Research Professor Charles Cai recently published a landmark paper in a collaboration between his research team at UCR, the Center for Bioenergy Innovation managed by Oak Ridge National Laboratories, and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, with funding provided by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Science. While carbon-neutral fuels have long been available, what makes the paper and CELF remarkable is the promise of making it cost-effective enough to actually compete with petroleum.

And of course, hydrogen is still very much on the table to preserve ICE. You have fellow gearheads like Mike Copeland at Arrington Performance proving its viable in the hot rodding and high performance world, and even the OEMs are getting in the action with Japanese automakers (including Toyota) banding together to bring this technology to the production line. In fact, you can buy a hydrogen-powered Toyota Mirai right now with a no-cost, 100,000-mile warranty (fuel cell and hybrid system) and 24-hour roadside assistance.

Yes, sir, ICE is far from dead or dying!

Toyota has been showing off its hydrogen fuel cell technology for several years in the Mirai. On display in 2022 it boasted: zero emissions, up to a 402-mile range, complimentary hydrogen fuel for up to 6 years or $15,000 (whichever comes first), and on a rear-wheel drive platform. The '24 model has a starting price of $50k.

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