Seve Lampley
Research Paper
10-26-18
Automotive Innovations In The Last Three Decades
Many of the innovations from the 90’s affect someone’s current life whether their realize it or not. One of them is Variable Valve Timing (VVT) by Honda. This system if another on that can increase power and at the same time increase fuel economy. It works by having two camshafts, one big, one small, switching to the correct one depending on oil pressure (Gutav 98). This was patented by Honda but there are other variants of it, but Honda is still the best and most well known. Part of that is the way it kicks in during acceleration. The main reason it is still used today is that it is done in a way the makes people enjoy driving it.
The 2000’s was an interesting time in auto history. The best innovation from the decade has to be the hybrid car. It works by having a gas and small electric motor, the engine powers the electric motor, causing it to use less fuel economy (Johnson 64). This technology is another one that can be used for performance. In super cars like the Porsche 918, the electric motor is used for instant torque which is useful in acceleration applications. That is why it is one of the most diverse technologies developed.
Although they are far more convenient, The Automatic transmission is also vastly more inefficient, Or is it? Up until the mid 2000’s if you wanted good gas mileage, you looked toward a manual transmission, but, engineers at car brands a around the world have found a way to make they as close to a manual transmission as possible, They did this with more gears and overdrive gears. It works by having to shift in to a higher gear at a lower speed (Martin 104). This revelation has started the decline of the manual transmission as there is little to no advantage to owning or driving one.
Transmission have become more and more advanced over the last 20 years. They have went to having three or four gears to having eight to ten now. On top of that, automatics shift earlier and more often than they ever have before. Instead of redlining on the high the highway they now are in fifth or sixth gear around town. These added gears increase fuel economy as well as overall top speed (Booth 240). The technology and engineering that are in these transmissions are increasing every year and doesnt seem to be slowing down anytime soon.
Forced induction can mean multiple thing in the world of cars. Mainly it means Turbochargers and Superchargers. They work by forcing compressed air into the engine causing a power increase that everyone loves (Bernard 19). They working different ways but get a very similar outcome. Superchargers tend to be linear while Turbos hit all at once and are usually cheaper to install. The benefit of these is have a small fuel efficient engine that, when you need it, can accelerate with little to no effort on its part at all. That is why they are being put in cars all around the globe at an alarming rate.
Superchargers are mechanically driven by the engine. Belts, chains, shafts, and gears are common ways of powering a supercharger, placing a mechanical load on the engine. For example, on the single-stage single-speed supercharged Dodge Demon engine, the supercharger uses about 150 horsepower. Yet the benefits outweigh the costs; for the 150 hp to drive the supercharger the engine generates an additional 400-horsepower, a net gain of 250 hp (Rose 423). This is where the disadvantage of a supercharger the engine is when it must give away the net power of the engine plus the power to drive the supercharger. Which in some cases is not worth the initial power loss.
A turbocharger does not place a mechanical load on the engine, even though turbochargers place exhaust back pressure on engines. This is more efficient because while the increased back pressure works the piston exhaust stroke, the energy driving the turbine is provided by the expanding exhaust gas that would be wasted as heat through the tailpipe. Compared to supercharging, the primary downside of turbocharging is what is referred to as lag (Rose 442). This is the time between the throttle being opened and the turbocharger providing increased intake pressure, and increasing engines power.
Even though here is no clear winner between the two methods, most people go with the turbocharger because of how much easier it is to install. They require a lot less electrics to be changed in order to be put in. Super chargers how ever, are mainly installed from factory and not put on by an individual. Either way, people still get a massive power increase that they want so bad for there car.
Electric cars have in the public eye lately and most people think that they are the future of the car industry. Although there are disadvantages, the advantages far outway them. For example, electric cars are green and have instant torque to all the wheels for a different acceleration. A disadvantage would be that the range of these electric car is not long enough to justify them as being someone’s daily driver. In conclusion, electric cars are here to stay, however, they won’t become mainstream for decades to come.
The catalytic converters was born in 1975 to help lower emissions. It was maxes mandatory by the US Government in 1993. They work by filtering excess fumes that would otherwise be released into the earth's atmosphere. They make the car have far less power and lower fuel economy while at the same time cleaning emissions for all the globe.
When most people think hybrid, they think Toyota Prius. That should not be the case because they are used in a vast array of vehicles all over the world, For example, they have recently been used in Hypercars to add horsepower and give them instant torque which I turn gives them ludacris acceleration that everyone who buys one yearns for. There are also many other companies that make respectable hybrid technology. Such as BMW, they hybrid-electric line is called BMWi and has been growing in popularity for there stunning looks and great handling. When it comes down to it, they will never be a point where everyone owns a hybrid, but they are cool concepts that can be beneficial in select individuals lives.
Electric cars are increasing in popularity every single day. The company that makes the best electric cars is none other that Tesla Motors. They are owned by billionaire Elon Musk and are an independent company. They own a very large portion of the electric cars sold in the US (King 12). They do this through a number of factors including, style, performance, and luxury. When people go out and buy a Tesla, they are overjoyed because of how Hugh tech they are. Another factor of Tesla’s success is how much farther along they are than other car companies. For example, they have the largest range and most amount of charging stations in the US causing them to almost have a monopoly on the electric car business (King 52). Overall Tesla is successful for a plethora of reasons that I could mars off all day, but the main ones are the majority of the reason they are so successful today.
One of the more surprising competitors in the electric car market is the Chevy Volt. They have become one of the main competitors to Tesla and are growing in popularity swiftly. They have the same basic principle but the Chevy is far less expensive. The fact that they could makes this car and get away for selling it at such a low price-point is just astonishing. It was a one point half as expensive at the Lowest range Tesla on the market. They have similar range but that about when the similarities end, the Chevy is not luxurious and not a very good performer. However, if someone is in the market solely for an electric car, overlooking the Volt would be a huge mistake.
Catalytic Converters, while choking down a engine, are vital to today’s cars. It’s is mandated that every car on the road have one because they lower emissions and help with sound deadening. Most people race competitively cut theirs off, the problem with that is that car is now not street legal. For most people, it’s a love hate relationship with them, for some people, they don’t even notice them and believe that they are useless. Overall, they are a good invention and help save the earth from dangerous fumes that are exacerbated by not having a Catalytic converter attached to you vehicle.
BMWi is one of them most exciting and youthful innovations happening in the world around us right now. They are causing electric car to be cool and stylish all at the same time being environmentally conscience . They are currently helping break the stigma surrounding electric cars. They are doing that by adding a luxurious and sporty experience with a well known and respected brand images attached to the car. The cars however, are not cheap. They start around the price of a 5 series sedan and end up being the most expensive models when you get in the the BMW i8. Some might no think that is worth there time a money to buy one, others believe that they are the best innovation to come out of Germany and stand by them 100%. They is no denying, however, that it is an intriguing and exciting concept that is changing the world right in front of our eyes.
While rolling through the vast and intricate car world, I came across an invention that gets little to no recognition. The Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT) is a transmission that breaks all the rules. It uses a belt and pulls with variable lengths instead of traditional gears (Rodgers 32). They are mostly revered by car enthusiast for their lackluster performer and typically poor reliability. For the environmentally conscious people, they are a savior from above. They always get good fuel economy because they are always at max efficiency because they don’t have traditional gears t at rev up and waste gas at lower speeds. Although they have been around for a while, they just now started to get popular for their fuel efficiency and applications in hybrid to make them even more earth friendly.
A belt-driven design offers approximately 88% efficiency. While lower than a manual, it can be offset by lower production cost and by letting the engine to run at its most efficient speed for a range of speeds. When power is more important than economy, the ratio of the CVT can be changed to allow the engine to turn at the RPM at which it produces highest power. This means it will have typically higher than the RPM that achieves peak efficiency. In low-mass low-torque applications a belt-driven CVT also offers ease of use and it is mechanical simple. That system is used in motorcycles and scooters.
There are many ways to achieve VVT, the first is Cam Switching (Michaels 91). This method uses two cam profiles, with an actuator to swap between the profiles, usually at a different oil pressure. Cam switching can also provide variable valve lift anda longer time for the valve to stay open, however the adjustment is usually fast rather than continuous. The first production use of this system was Honda's VTEC system. VTEC changes hydraulic pressure to actuate a pin that locks the high lift, high duration rocker arm to another low lift rocker arm.
The next form of VVT uses and oscillating cam. This design uses an oscillating or rocking motion in a part cam lobe, which acts on a follower. This follower then opens and closes the valve. Some oscillating cam systems use a conventional cam lobe, but most of them use an eccentric cam lobe and a connecting rod. The advantage of this design is that adjustment of lift and duration is continuous (Michaels 98). In these systems, lift is proportional to duration, so lift and duration cannot be adjusted any other way. The BMW valvetronic, Nissan VVEL, and Toyota valvematic oscillating cam systems only affect the intake valves only.
While VVT systems are fairly popular nowadays, there was a time where only one company had it, that company was Honda. Honda’s creation was named VTEC and is still somewhat of a punchline in the car enthusiast community. Every company has one nowadays but the second one to follow in Hondas footsteps was Toyota, their system was just named VVT and was slightly different from Honda but produced the same result of being more efficient at lower speed and the torque coming in when it needs to at the higher rpms. For most people, they don’t notice the effects of these systems, but if you were to drive one without VVT, your wallet sure would for them simple fact that they burn 10% more gasoline at 2500 rpm than a car with VVT would. Although all car brands have there own version of it, Honda will always be remembered for creating the fun way of getting power out of a tiny engine.
Although VVT has been around for a while, it is always improving (Thomas 84). Since 2005 it has gotten 35% more efficient through the use of varying position stroke lengths. That means that not only do the valves have variable timing and lengths, so the the pistons. This new technology makes it so the engine can has three stages of VVT rather than just two. This is a good thing for many reasons one being better fuel economy on the highway through only one one being in place at a time. It also mean that someone is less likely to break into the third tier instead they just go up the the valves extending..
Overall the world of cars is always expanding and going in different directions. Most of these things are here to stay, but some of them might be left behind in the next generation of car created. Only time will tell whether or not any of these systems developed will be obsolete in the next 20 years. The next generation of innovations is on its way and I believe that we could be entering what some people call, the future. I just hope it lives up to all the notion surrounding it, about the hover and such. Whatever happens, it is for the good of the car and the well being of the individual operating, or just simply riding inside, of the vehicle.