Compared to other technologies we use every day, it seems like car engines haven't really changed much. The engine in an old Ford Model T has plenty in common with the engine in a 2011 Ford Fusion, but it's doubtful Alexander Graham Bell would know what to do with an iPhone. While communications technology has changed drastically, car engines use the same basic principle: The combustion of air and fuel to create rotational force and move a car.
But while the same basic principles that drove the first car engines are still used today, modern car engines have evolved to meet the power and efficiency needs of today's drivers. Think of older car engines as wolves and modern car engines as dogs. They're share the same heritage and have similar characteristics, but one does just fine in everyday modern situations, while the other just couldn't adapt to living in a city or suburb.
1.Modern Engines are More Efficient:-
Your basic gasoline car engine isn't all that efficient. Of all the chemical energy in gasoline, only about 15 percent gets converted into the mechanical energy that actually moves the car. The EPA says over 17 percent of the energy is lost as the engine idles, and a whopping 62 percent is lost in the engine due to heat and friction.
Your basic gasoline car engine isn't all that efficient. Of all the chemical energy in gasoline, only about 15 percent gets converted into the mechanical energy that actually moves the car. The EPA says over 17 percent of the energy is lost as the engine idles, and a whopping 62 percent is lost in the engine due to heat and friction.
Modern engines have a number of technologies in place to make them more efficient. For example, direct injection technology, which mixes the fuel and the air before they're put into the cylinder, can improve engine efficiency by 12 percent because the fuel burns more efficiently .Turbochargers, which use compressed air from the car's exhaust system, compress the air that's used in the combustion cycle. The compressed air leads to more efficient combustion.
2.Modern Engines are More Powerful:-
People are more concerned with fuel economy now than when cars were new, but they're also more concerned with engine power. After all, the first cars only had horses to keep up with. Now cars are driven on freeways. Modern cars are also a lot heavier than early cars, because they're stuffed with safety features and accessories. Today's car engines have a lot more work to do. They're carrying heavier loads at faster speeds.
People are more concerned with fuel economy now than when cars were new, but they're also more concerned with engine power. After all, the first cars only had horses to keep up with. Now cars are driven on freeways. Modern cars are also a lot heavier than early cars, because they're stuffed with safety features and accessories. Today's car engines have a lot more work to do. They're carrying heavier loads at faster speeds.
3.Modern Engines are Smaller:-
Since modern engines make more power than older engines, you'd expect them to be larger. But if you look at the example of the Chevrolet Malibu we used on the previous page, you'll notice that while engine power increased, engine size decreased.
Since modern engines make more power than older engines, you'd expect them to be larger. But if you look at the example of the Chevrolet Malibu we used on the previous page, you'll notice that while engine power increased, engine size decreased.
The incredibly shrinking engine in today's cars can be chalked up to improved efficiency. Car makers have learned that you don't have to make the engine bigger to get the power consumer's want. You just have to make the engine work smarter. The same technology that helps modern engines work more efficiently also means that modern engines can make more power without needing a larger package.
4.Modern Engines Work Smarter:-
One major difference between modern car engines and older car engines is that modern car engines don't work as hard. In an old V-8 engine, all eight cylinders were firing, no matter if the car was idling or accelerating as fast as it could. Also, all eight cylinders were getting the same amount of fuel, regardless of how much work the engine was doing at the time.
One major difference between modern car engines and older car engines is that modern car engines don't work as hard. In an old V-8 engine, all eight cylinders were firing, no matter if the car was idling or accelerating as fast as it could. Also, all eight cylinders were getting the same amount of fuel, regardless of how much work the engine was doing at the time.
Today's engines have technology that makes them work smarter. Cylinder deactivation is a system that allows some cylinders in an engine shut down when they're not needed, like when the car is idling or cruising. When more power is needed, those cylinders "wake up" and help out. Cylinder deactivation helps engines work more efficiently, since it means the engine only uses the fuel it needs and only extends the effort required for the job at hand.
5.Modern Engines Have Partners:-
Modern engines have a lot of technology that helps use less fuel while making more power than older engines, but they have one last thing that older engines just didn't have: partners.
Modern engines have a lot of technology that helps use less fuel while making more power than older engines, but they have one last thing that older engines just didn't have: partners.
Today's car engines are not only sophisticated technological achievements, they're partnered with other high-tech components that help them do their jobs better. A four-or five speed transmission used to be cutting-edge, but today's engines are partnered with transmissions with seven and even eight speeds. The more speeds a transmission has, the better it's able to mesh with engine power, making the whole drive train run more efficiently. Or, if eight speeds aren't enough, modern engines are partnered with Continuously Variable Transmissions (CVTs). CVTs have an infinite number of gear ratios, making them able to transmit the engine's power to the wheels in the most efficient way possible.
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