RE: New engine drastically improves driving range and cuts emissions.
I hoped to see it run... guess that was too much to hope for.
It would indeed be a great thing to have an engine so efficient that it wouldn't need a cooling system, but it looks like all they have are theories at this point.
A lot of engine designs have been tried over the years. I'm sure that someday we'll actually have something better than a reciprocating piston engine, and maybe this is it, but it's hard to believe that some automobile company hasn't already tried it, or something very similar. Contrary to popular belief, they do experiment. Chrysler worked on gas turbine engines for years, and could never solve the emissions problem. This engine, too, may produce unacceptable levels of NOx.
I'm not trying to be negative, though: I'd love to see it work out. The Otto cycle was a breakthrough in 1876, and the improvements to it have been great, but it's been 135 years since we've had a true breakthrough. Maybe we're due.
