Future Powerplants to Combat Air Pollution

The widely recognized necessity for substantially reducing air pollution caused by the automotive powerplant before the end of the century has, led to much experimentation. Both government and industry must bear the responsibility for improving the engine itself and the fuel it consumes.

Promising alternatives to present vehicles include a gas turbine engine with regenerator, a hybrid engine combining a low-powered, fuel-burning engine with electric batteries. New fuels-the currently available low-lead and no-lead gasolines, natural gas and liquid propane gas, dual fuel systems, and even fuel cells-are also being investigated. Cars incorporating the eventual solution, closed-loop systems, should be available by the year 2000.