Is the internal-combustion engine worth saving?
Ray: The piston engine is pretty inefficient. There are a lot of other propulsion technologies that aren’t as inefficient. Turbines are a good example. That being said, I think the IC engine as we know it will be with us for a long time. But I don’t see us getting that efficiency up over 25 percent. I may be wrong, but even the most sophisticated computer controls aren’t going to help that much. But just because we’ve been using it for all these years doesn’t mean we shouldn’t look for something new or try to make it more efficient. RELATED STORIES • DRIVE GREEN: All of PM’s Alt-Fuel Coverage in One Place!
