Are automakers trying to save the combustion engine?

HAMBURG/BERLIN: Only a few years ago, it looked as if the days of the fuel-fired engine were numbered.

Now makers like Mercedes-Benz, Audi and Toyota are saying they expect to sell combustion-engine cars for longer than expected amid disappointing sales of electric vehicles (EVs).

Carmakers are feeling the pain of the EV slowdown after governments shut down popular subsidies for the technology, making the already more expensive electrics even less attractive to buyers.

Gaping holes in charging infrastructure also continue to turn off potential customers.

Some manufacturers are fettling new engines which they say are cleaner and more efficient than those that went before.

Even Porsche has apparently developed an innovative engine concept with a new type of crankshaft mechanism, described as "two times three strokes". The aim is to get more power with cleaner and more efficient combustion, reports German car mag Auto Motor und Sport.

Volkswagen's chief financial officer Arno Antlitz said earlier this year that the Wolfsburg company intends to invest roughly €60 billion (about $64.5 billion) to "keep our combustion cars competitive."

Brussels is now already mulling whether to put off the planned ban on the sale of combustion-engined cars in the EU from 2035 and engineering departments at many car firms are reviving fuel-fired development programmes.

"The industry has slowly realised that the breakthrough of electro-mobility will take longer than expected, hoped or demanded," said Alexander Timmer from Munich-based strategy consultants Berylls at AlixPartners.

"That's why they are sending the combustion engine into overtime everywhere, postponing the phase-out and further developing many engines." So which models and technologies are in the pipeline?

Mercedes recently revealed details of its new petrol motor. The M 252 entry-level engine will be launched as a member of a new, versatile modular engine family. The power unit, which debuts in the new edition of the Mercedes CLA, is a 1.5-litre four-cylinder engine with 48-volt mild hybrid technology.

The electricity generated by the electric motor is stored in a 48-volt lithium battery with a capacity of up to 1.3 kWh, which is located under the driver's seat.

The electric motor supports the petrol engine in the lower speed range. In city traffic, it should enable purely electric driving as well as electric gliding up to a speed of 100 km/h. Recuperation takes place in conjunction with all eight gears.

The engine marks a revival of interest in hybrid solutions which get around the most worrying aspect of EVs for many would-be buyers, namely range anxiety or the fear of being stranded somewhere with empty batteries and no recharger within range.

The CLA will initially be launched on the market in mid-2025 as an all-electric before, probably at the beginning of 2026, customers will also be offered the new Euro 7-compliant petrol engine as an alternative.

Sports car makers Ferrari and Aston Martin have already realised that electric cars fail to deliver the driving emotion that buyers expect from these hallowed luxury brands.

That is why Aston Martin recently unveiled a new V12 petrol motor which is arguably the least fuel efficient and most unreasonable of all ICE units.

Bugatti's insanely-expensive Tourbillon is even getting a new V16 petrol engine and why is that? "Because we can do it," said company chief Mate Rimac proudly.

Mercedes has been busy getting its popular E and C class limousines ready for the stringent Euro 7 emission regulations while Audi has grabbed a pole position with its new petrol motor.

Alongside long-awaited Premium Platform Electric (PPE) range of electric power plants, the Bavarians have come up with a new combustion engine architecture. It debuts in the new A5 limo and will spawn a completely new generation of petrols and diesels.

These all come with mild hybrid technology the manufacturer said. With an extra-powerful starter motor and a better battery, this enables purely electric operation on short journeys and can reduce fuel consumption by around half a litre per 100 km.

Toyota, together with Mazda and Subaru, has also presented a new generation of four-cylinder combustion engines with a displacement of 1.5, 2.0 and 2.5 litres. They will soon be used across the entire range of the three brands.

Renault has also just founded a joint venture with the Chinese Geely Group which, under the name Horse Powertrain, will do nothing other than develop new combustion engines with and without hybrid components.

According to the partners, 17 engine plants are to be built on three continents for the Renault, Dacia, Geely Auto, Volvo, Lynk & Co, Proton, Nissan and Mitsubishi brands, among others. These will supply 130 countries with up to 5 million engines per year.

Expert Stefan Pischinger is convinced that manufacturers are well advised to aim for the best of both ICE and electric technology. He heads the Centre for Mobile Propulsion at RWTH Aachen University and still sees enormous potential for the combustion engine.

One innovation is the pre-heated catalytic converters which lets the engine warm warm up more quickly and waste less fuel while still cold.

"Further optimisation of modern combustion processes will allow significant increases in efficiency, especially in combination with future synthetic fuels," said the expert.

Where current petrol engines achieve efficiency levels of 42% at best, up to 50% will be possible in the future.