Mazda's Holy Grail of Combustion Engines - SkyActiv-X!
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Has Mazda created the holy grail of combustion engines? Typical gas engines use a spark plug to ignite an air fuel mixture. A more efficient and more powerful method would be to ignite this air fuel mixture completely all at once, using compression, similar to a diesel engine. The idea is called HCCI, or homogenous charge compression ignition. Mazda developed a very similar technology called SPCCI, or spark controlled compression ignition. This technology works with very lean air fuel ratios, meaning lots of air, but not much fuel. As the piston nears top dead center, a spark plug fires, creating a pressure wave that increases the pressure of the surrounding air fuel mixture. This increase in pressure raises the temperature, causes the entire mixture to simultaneously combust, burning the fuel very quickly, and efficiently producing power. The tech actually works; it’s powerful and gets great fuel economy. Unfortunately, Skyactiv-X never made it to America. Related Videos: Mazda's Hol
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