China leads improvements in fossil fuel engine efficiency to fill electric gap
- With vehicle electrification expected to take 10-20 years, Chinese manufacturers are breaking energy-saving records in an old technology
- Shandong-based Weichai Power’s commercial diesel engine achieves milestone while other carmakers abandon internal combustion model
Weichai Power marked a new industry milestone on Saturday, unveiling the world’s most efficient commercial diesel engine – with a thermal efficiency of more than 53 per cent – at the World Congress on Internal Combustion Engines in China.
The diesel engine developer and manufacturer, based in the eastern province of Shandong, is a leader in breakthrough technologies, such as high-expansion combustion and high-efficiency fuel injection, that underpinned the achievement.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, conference president Jin Donghan noted that internal combustion engines are the dominant driving force in land transport, engineering machinery and long-distance shipping.
They promise “the biggest potential” in promoting energy conservation and carbon reduction, said Jin, who is also the president of Tianjin University and a Chinese Academy of Engineering (CAE) academician.
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Based on current estimates of Chinese diesel engine ownership, the new engine translates into annual fuel savings of about 31 million tonnes and a reduction in carbon emissions of about 97 million tonnes, according to a state-run newspaper.