A real transition to electric vehicles will take decades and the ICE will continue for the foreseeable future. In the next 5-8 years we will see some very innovative developments in ICE design and technology: CVVD, Koenigsegg's freevalve, variable compression ratio, etc. There's also an opposing-cylinder design in development, read about it a few weeks ago. Also development of alternative fuels to keep the combustion engine combusting.
Will we see any new ICEs or transmissions developed?
- Thread starter dishdude
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BMW has already stopped development of any new ICE. What we have now is it.
Electrification of rail is easy. It's done all over the world. However, it's far more practical where there's more density. Direct driving of locomotives from an ICE is rare. They're essentially just big diesel generators on wheels that then power the electric drive. It doesn't require a transmission, and is a heck of a lot easier to start slowly.
That is because Audi is marketing to a wealthy, urban demographic for whom Current EV tech works.
The EV - ICE debate is still a rural/urban dichotomy.
We see this on these forums - loud proponents of EV seemingly unable to grasp the hesitation that many others may have.
As long as we hear “We love our EV’s, but we still use our ICE for trips/hauling/etc.” there will be a place for new ICE tech.
Again, a luxury car brand catering to the urban nouveau rich. They can afford to do it, and since their brand is dependent on the illusion of luxury (70%+ leases LOL) they have to appear to be leading the trend.
EV will absolutely continue to phase into market share. Infrastructure probably won’t keep up. Hybrids will continue to become ever more available. But let’s not pretend like ICE tech is dead.
Other than Toyota refining their Hydrogen ICE engine? (note: it's not a fuel cell, like the Mirai)
Yes we will, a lot of people and governments don't realize how EV's are a tiny part of the market and shifting the entire market towards them (and the required change in infrastructure) will be a herculean undertaking that that will take very long time and not a few years or by 2030. Also keep in mind that car companies are corporations like all other that love to make self serving great sounding announcements that don't have to be grounded in reality and can be backed out of in any moment.
Diminishing returns? there are tons more they could do. I'd like a full electric with a 30-50hp super efficient designed to run at one load/one speed range extender cross county trip/emergency no problem and refueling would be 5-8 gallons of gas. When around home plug in at your house.
Also 95ron is aprox 91 AKI we use here.. and according to sources costs less than 10cents more to make.. so why is it $.60-$1 more at the pump.
I would have no issues with 91AKI being the "base grade" of gas if it was 10cents more.
Even 88 octane e15 as the base grade would simplify the compression/ power metric
It already is, I like electric cars but there are major hurdles with the tech and you’re looking at a 10 year delay from current tech to the average car on the road. Look at every major metroplex in the northeastern US. How many people in those areas street park? How do those cars get charged? One of many problems, until then the ICE will stay and develop.
I wonder if OEM’s will outsource engines in case of future need. Transmissions already went that way. I could see light duty truck and bigger getting ICE for years to come, thus OEM specific drivelines. But passenger cars? I wonder if generic high efficiency Atkinson cycle engines coupled with an eCVT will become commonplace, parallel to EV’s.
Ford, Dodge, Toyota all get the same brand of motor
Would make repairs 1,000,000x more cost effective
Developing a new ICE is akin to developing a point and shoot digital camera. Market moving on.
Transmissions haven't been outsourced as Toyota (Aisin), Honda, Nissan (Jatco), GM, Ford, Mercedes, Fiat, Hyundai, VW/Audi, etc all still design and manufacture their own transmissions and don't have any plans to stop. It is true that some companies like Chrysler rely on more transmissions that are designed out of house like the ZF and Mercedes units but even when automakers go shopping for a transmission they generally end up buying it from another automaker like Aisin (Toyota) or Jatco (Nissan). With the exception of ZF most of the independent transmission makers are struggling and ended up being sold like Getrag/Magna PT, and Borg-Warner/Tremec.
I also don't see automakers dropping their own ICE's and buying some generic engines because it involves giving up control, loosing any competitive edge in the market and engineering know how, and perhaps most importantly giving up the ability to profit from making engines in house.
Mazda recently confirmed a trio of new ICE's specifically designed for a forthcoming RWD architecture: a gasoline I6, a possible diesel version of said I6, and a hybridized I4 from the same family. I'd say ICE's are going to be around a good while yet.