Targeting 40% BTE with advanced VCR

French engine technologists MCE-5 push their variable-compression-ratio program with new tech.

Nissan's announcement at the 2016 Paris Motor Show that it will bring a variable-compression-ratio engine to production in 2018 (see AE November, 2016, p. 6) energized those in the advanced-ICE development community who also have VCR technologies in the works. Varying compression ratio according to load, speed and other parameters is a significant ‘lever’ that has yet to be pulled, in series-production volumes, to further optimize 4-stroke efficiency.

“The automakers have picked the low-hanging ‘fruit’ and are now climbing higher in the technology ‘tree’ to pick what will enable them to achieve the 2025 CO2 regulations,” explained Henri Trintignac, Chief Executive Officer at MCE-5 Development. The Lyon, France-based engine-tech company has been focused on its unique VCRi system for 17 years and has documented its progress via many SAE technical papers and presentations over the past decade. Its first development contract, signed in 2015, is with China's Dongfeng Motor.