Latest news with #internalcombustionengine
Auto Blog
3 days ago
- Automotive
- Auto Blog
Lamborghini is Betting on Synthetic Fuel to Save the Combustion Engine
Lamborghini's plan to keep ICE alive Lamborghini isn't ready to say goodbye to the internal combustion engine. In fact, the Italian supercar company is doubling down on it, even as the broader industry moves toward electrification. With synthetic fuel, or e-fuel, the company believes it can keep the thrill of high-performance engines alive well past 2035, when the European Union's ban on new gas-powered car sales is set to take effect. 0:06 / 0:09 2025 Ford Maverick: 4 reasons to love it, 2 reasons to think twice Watch More The key is that the EU's ruling leaves a loophole: it allows combustion engines to continue, as long as they run on carbon-neutral fuel. Lamborghini's newly unveiled V8 in the Temerario is designed with that future in mind. According to the brand's Chief Technical Officer, Rouven Mohr, the engine can run on both traditional gasoline and synthetic fuel 'without compromises.' E-fuel isn't just a backup plan Mohr recently told Australian magazine CarExpert that synthetic fuel 'could be the savior of the combustion engine,' and emphasized that electrification still hasn't captured the emotional essence of driving a car like a Lamborghini. Lamborghini Temerario — Source: Lamborghini 'If you ask me the emotional side at the moment … I don't see the [electric] solution that is convincing now,' Mohr said. He believes EVs will eventually have their moment, but not before a new generation rediscovers the visceral appeal of combustion engines, especially if they can be made cleaner. That emotional connection is key for a brand like Lamborghini. Sound, feel, and performance are inseparable from the driving experience the company promises, and Mohr thinks e-fuel offers a path to preserve that legacy. Autoblog Newsletter Autoblog brings you car news; expert reviews and exciting pictures and video. Research and compare vehicles, too. Sign up or sign in with Google Facebook Microsoft Apple By signing up I agree to the Terms of Use and acknowledge that I have read the Privacy Policy . You may unsubscribe from email communication at anytime. Porsche is already pumping e-fuel Lamborghini's push isn't happening in a vacuum. Its parent company, Volkswagen Group, is already testing the waters—literally. Porsche began producing synthetic fuel in Chile back in 2022, converting water and carbon dioxide into a usable liquid fuel using wind power. The resulting e-fuel was used to run a 911, and Porsche has committed to keeping the 911 as its last gas-powered holdout. Porsche 992.2 911 Carrera 4 GTS — Source: Porsche Porsche's e-fuel is made using hydrogen and carbon dioxide captured from the atmosphere or industrial sources. It's touted as carbon-neutral because the CO₂ emitted during combustion is equal to the amount pulled from the air during production. The cost is still high, but Porsche's well-heeled buyers likely won't mind paying a premium to keep their engines humming. Other luxury brands are exploring synthetic fuels too 2024 Toyota Mirai — Source: Toyota Beyond Porsche and Lamborghini, other performance marques are also experimenting with e-fuel. Bugatti, Bentley, and even Ferrari have signaled interest. Outside the luxury sphere, Toyota, Mazda, and Subaru are collaborating on alternatives to fossil fuels, and Toyota is also testing hydrogen combustion engines as a potential ICE solution. Final thoughts Lamborghini's bet comes with a lot of caveats. Producing synthetic fuel at a meaningful scale is expensive and energy-intensive. Infrastructure is minimal, and with most automakers pouring billions into electric vehicle development, there's a question of whether there's enough industry momentum—or money—left to make e-fuels viable for the masses. But Lamborghini isn't chasing mass appeal. It's trying to preserve what makes its cars special. If synthetic fuel can offer that thrill without the emissions penalty, it could carve out a future for ICE cars, at least for the wealthy few who can afford them. For everyone else, the road still points toward batteries. About the Author Elijah Nicholson-Messmer View Profile
The National
3 days ago
- Automotive
- The National
Best photos of June 26: F1 film premiere in Abu Dhabi to Paris Fashion Week
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE. Part three: an affection for classic cars lives on Read part two: how climate change drove the race for an alternative Read part one: how cars came to the UAE
The Drive
17-06-2025
- Automotive
- The Drive
Do Car Buyers Care Which Engine Is Under the Hood? A Ford Exec Doesn't Think So
The latest car news, reviews, and features. The internal combustion engine will eventually die, but not today. The transition to fully battery electric cars hasn't happened anywhere near as swiftly as automakers expected at the start of the decade. Schedules are being postponed, and plans to restart or reinvigorate ICE development and manufacturing have been implemented across the industry. For traditional enthusiasts, it's a stay of execution worth celebrating, though it may come at a cost. Would you sacrifice a variety of gas engines so that they can live on? This was a question effectively posed by Ford Vice Chairman John Lawler recently. 'Where [combustion engines] defined what a vehicle was—the horsepower, the displacement, the torque, and everything about the vehicle—I think a lot of that is gone,' Lawler said at Bernstein's strategic decisions conference, per Automotive News . If the buying public doesn't distinguish between different gas engines at so granular a level, there's arguably an opportunity for engine production to be consolidated. And we all know how much corporations love to join together in the face of rising costs and increased competition. What if engine production in five years looks more like electric powertrain production, where batteries and motors are sourced from a small group of suppliers? That's the future Lawler expects and, as Automotive News rightly points out, is arguably beginning to take shape. Take Renault and Geely's joint venture, annoyingly named 'Horse,' to construct a family of engines shared between their products, including Volvo's. An F-150 is assembled at Ford's plant in Dearborn, Michigan, in April deciding factors for mainstream car shoppers, now and likely going forward, are based on performance and behavior rather than numbers. Robby DeGraff, manager of product and consumer insights at AutoPacific, told The Drive : 'I think a lot of this sentiment entirely depends on the vehicle segment and type. Sports and enthusiast vehicle buyers will prioritize this, eagerly compare specs, and place a higher value on the overall 'feel' of said engine in their performance vehicle because they intentionally want the most engaging experience behind the wheel.' Pickup truck buyers are similarly driven by measurable differences in towing and hauling capabilities, he added. 'But, for your common crossover or sedan buyer, the significance of a vehicle's engine behavior (horsepower, torque, etc.) really isn't as paramount a factor during the shopping process,' DeGraff said. 'Instead, there's more of a focus on common 'wants' like having good acceleration when merging onto a highway, not getting annoyed by loud raspy engine noise, or, as it relates to today's car shopping scene, improved fuel economy gains and hybridization.' Two decades ago, buyers would ask for either a four-cylinder or a six-cylinder engine. Now, you have buyers who ask for ICE, hybrid, or full EV. 'I fully agree with Lawler—with few exceptions (Ford Voodoo, Hellcat, LT7, high-end engines from Ferrari et al.) there is indeed little to differentiate between the vast majority of mainstream engines,' said Sam Abuelsamid, vice president of market research at Telemetry. 'To the average consumer, they aren't going to choose a Ford, Stellantis, or Volkswagen 2.0-liter turbo (same goes for the 1.5 triples, etc.) for the engine,' Abuelsamid continued. 'Other factors are going to be the deciders. I wrote a blog about this a couple of weeks ago, advocating for most ICE development to be consolidated and hybrids to be the default powertrain to reduce the number of variations that need to be developed and certified.' Ram Retreating to ICE simply isn't a feasible long-term strategy, contrary to what you may have heard about the return of the Hemi. Multiple viable powertrain technologies exist today and will continue to share the market for some time. 'How is a company to fund the development of ICE and EV and everything in between for the next decade and beyond?' Abuelsamid asks in his piece. Consolidation between automotive conglomerates is looking like an increasingly attractive solution. For many enthusiasts, particularly those who continue to stew over the way Toyota has teamed up with other automakers to build sports cars in recent years, it's something of a monkey's paw outcome. Would you welcome the continued existence of the internal combustion engine if it meant more of those engines and their underlying technologies would be the same? Is that a worthy compromise, so ICE engines can persist? You've got time to mull that question over, but experts looking to the future would seem to agree: It's probably where we're going. Got tips? Send 'em to tips@
Telegraph
14-06-2025
- Business
- Telegraph
Think petrol-powered cars are dead? Tell that to investors
As you would expect, the price of gold surged anew alongside that of oil after Israel launched a wave of attacks on Iran. Rising global instability is meat and drink for gold bugs; there's nothing they like more than the sight of fighter jets on the move. But hold on, what's this? Prices are also surging in that largely forgotten corner of the precious metals markets, platinum, and it's got very little to do with Iranian ambitions for a nuclear bomb. Rather, it is the growing conviction that there is life after apparent death for the internal combustion engine (ICE). Despite the best efforts of policymakers to kill them off, petrol-fuelled cars are experiencing something of a comeback in more environmentally acceptable, hybrid form. The market for traditional all petrol cars is also continuing to grow strongly in non OECD countries. What's that got to do with the price of platinum? Though not nearly as widely held as gold, the metal enjoys some of the same characteristics, in that it is extensively used in jewellery and there is steady, if unspectacular, investment demand for it. But it has historically failed to command the same totemic status as gold as an alternative form of money, or as insurance against collapse in the global monetary order – a tail risk that seems to grow bigger by the day. On the other hand, it does have an industrial use, catalytic converters, and that's where the lion's share of the demand comes from. These convert harmful emissions from ICE vehicles into less harmful ones. When Western governments announced timelines for going all electric, it was therefore widely assumed that this also sounded the death knell for platinum. Once upon a time, the metal enjoyed near price parity with gold, but over the past decade, it has lagged ever further behind, and now stands at close to a record discount of more than $2,000 (£1,474) per ounce. Corecam, a Zurich-based wealth management firm, thinks it has spotted an opportunity. In recent analysis, the firm points out that platinum prices are now near or below the cost of production for many South African miners, where 80pc of the global platinum supply originates. Most producers are struggling to break even, a predicament that historically marks the cyclical bottom in commodity markets. Hardly any investment has flowed into new sources of platinum production in recent years. Now consider the following. Despite the incentives offered, EVs have failed to achieve the market penetration expected of them. Range limitation, basic lack of charging point infrastructure, and of course still relatively high prices have been a turn-off for consumers.
The National
30-05-2025
- Automotive
- The National
Rebuilding Lebanon after Israel's war: The vast costs and vexing political challenges
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE. Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins Read part one: how cars came to the UAE
