ICE EFFICIENCY GAINS INCREMENTAL IMPROVEMENTS IT IS EASY TO IGNORE THE DEVELOPMENT OF ICE TECHNOLOGY IN THE NEW BEV AGE. WAYNE WARD TAKES A WHISTLE-STOP TOUR THROUGH THE MOST SIGNIFICANT SOURCES OF EFFICIENCY GAINS IN RECENT YEARS Words: T Wayne Ward here’s no denying that the biggest trend in automotive propulsion is toward electrification. The share of sales of cars powered by the internal combustion engine, in most markets, describes a downward curve. There are various reasons for this, including a desire on the part of some motorists to ‘do the right thing’, and an awareness among those who have driven an EV that there are clear advantages in addition to the environmental merits. Eventually, though, government targets and legislation will just make it uneconomical to produce and sell cars with engines. However, in the last decades of their development cycle, ICEs are reaching a zenith of efficiency, refinement and reliability along with very much lower emissions. Forty years ago, a family car that could travel 30 miles on 34 www.automotivepowertraintechnologyinternational.com / March 2025
Automotive Powertrain Technology International Automotive Powertrain Technology International March 2025 Issue: Page 34
