Mazda’s SKYACTIV-Z Engine Could Change the ICE Market, Company Claims
In a world that is more and more turning toward electric vehicles, companies are not really investing much in the innovation of traditional, gas-powered engines. This shouldn’t come as a surprise – they work, but at the same time, they are slowly on their way out.
But, it’s still a long time before ICE vehicles completely disappear, so there is still a lot of space for improvement there and it seemed that Mazda has decided to explore that space and potentially present something revolutionary.
Mazda’s planned SKYACTIV-Z engine promises to change the ICE market in a major way, and we have all the details of this potentially revolutionary concept that could combine efficiency with environment-friendly features.
As said, the ICE market is still the dominant one, but with the EV market growing and more and more countries restricting the production of ICE vehicles, no one is really working on innovating the traditional gas-powered engines anymore.
And that isn’t surprising. When you have a functional product, but one that could soon be replaced, you don’t really invest a lot in its improvements, do you? But, the Japanese company Mazda has been working on establishing a shared portfolio of internal combustion engine (ICE), hybrid, and all-electric models, which would balance out the company’s production with the market demands.
This is a smart move from a financial perspective, but Mazda has noticed the absence of innovations in the field of ICE vehicles, which is where the company’s SKYACTIV-Z initiative comes in.
This initiative is poised to create a gas-powered engine that can combust with leaner fuel mixtures, which would lead to a better fuel economy, lower emissions, heightened performance, greater reliability, and simplified maintenance. SKYACTIV-Z tech also converts heat normally escaping from an engine into power for improved thermal (engine) efficiency.
So, just imagine a gas-powered engine but with low emissions and an environment-friendly mechanism – that is why SKYACIV-Z aims to accomplish.
Namely, the SKYACTIV-Z aims to potentially create a carbon-neutral ICE, which would indeed be revolutionary, as carbon neutrality has been linked with electric engines, not gas-powered ones. How are they aiming to achieve this?
Well, they are currently testing carbon capture technology relying on the presence of a special substance called zeolite in the exhaust pipe to absorb carbon dioxide. This would be paired with the use of carbon-neutral fuels, which would thus provide for a carbon-neutral ICE vehicle.
On top of that, Mazda is also working on creating internal combustion engines that would be able to release air with less CO2 than they take in, thus cleaning the environment at the same time.
As stated, this is a potential future at this point, but if Mazda does succeed in the development of such an engine, it could change the auto industry forever.
