It’s true – eventually hydrogen- and battery-powered cars will take over and the internal combustion engine will be nothing more than a faint memory in the mind of the last remaining gear heads on the planet. For now, however, some automakers are extending the life of the ICE. Koenigsegg and FreeValve have been working on the camshaftless engine, and now, Infiniti has become the first automaker to announce an engine that features variable cylinder compression in a production-ready engine.
For now, the engine is technically in concept form but is set to be unveiled on September 29 at Mondial de I’Automobile during a press conference. That said, there isn’t a whole lot that we know about the engine as of yet, but we expect to see it first debut in the Infiniti QX50 (the production version of the QX Sport Concept) for the 2018 model year.
Roland Krueger, the President of Infiniti Motor Company, said, “VC-T technology is a step change for INFINITI. It is a revolutionary next step in optimizing the efficiency of the internal combustion engine. This technological breakthrough delivers the power of a high-performance 2.0-liter turbo gasoline engine with a high level of efficiency at the same time.”
So how exactly does it work? Well, we’re not 100-percent sure quite yet, but after looking at images offered up by Infiniti, it looks like a pretty simple setup that allows a variation of piston height. This, in turn, alters the compression ratio from anywhere between 8:1 for high performance and 14.1 for high efficiency. Known as VC-T, the adjustment of piston height is seamless with the on-board engine control unit constantly adjusting the piston height to maintain the optimal compression ratio for driving conditions at any given time. In short, you’ll get the best performance when demanded but will experience better fuel economy when cruising around.
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