Geneva Preview: Lotus Omnivore engine
By Andrew C., 30 Aug, 2010. 0 Comments
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The Omnivore engine is the latest revelation of a highly efficient flex-fuel engine concept by Lotus set to be showcased next week at the Geneva Motor Show. Lotus claims that the technology upon which this engine is based can drastically boost fuel efficiency of biofuel powerplants. The Omnivore is a direct-injection two-stroke engine which comes with two important features: a monoblock construction and a variable compression ratio.
It was Saab who first started the variable compression ratio with a hinged block however, the Lotus variant is less complex. In the Omnivore version, the engine utilizes a puck at the top end of the combustion chamber, which moves up and down, effectively affecting engine compression contingent on the loads placed on the motor.
With the monoblock design the head gasket is unnecessary thus weight is reduced and fuel efficiency is enhanced. The innovative engine with sustainable alcohol-based fuels has the potential to lower total CO2 emissions of internal combustion units. We may be looking at the future with Omnivore.
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