Lasers to spark fuel efficient cars

Of all the uses for cutting-edge laser technology, the simple act of turning the key in your car's ignition might not appear like an obvious application for a technology that is often more at home in university labs.

But engineers at the University of Liverpool are currently working on a new vehicle technology that promises to slash carbon emissions and improve fuel efficiency by integrating lasers into the humble car ignition system.

The project, which is backed by Ford and yesterday secured a research grant of almost £200,000 from the Carbon Trust, is focused on replacing traditional spark ignition with a laser ignition that researchers claim is capable of ensuring ignition takes place in the most efficient part of the fuel chamber.

Speaking to BusinessGreen.com, project leader Dr Tom Shenton said that the new approach had the potential to combine the performance and lightweight design of a petrol engine with the fuel efficiency of a diesel engine.

"The control you get with a laser beam will enable much better use of gasoline direct injection systems where the fuel is only injected once the air is pressurised," he explained, adding that while it was too early to estimate potential carbon savings, the technology had the potential to deliver significantly improved fuel economy and reductions in both carbon and NOX emissions.

Dr Shenton admitted it was likely to be several years before the technology becomes commercially viable.

"The lasers we are using for testing cost £25,000 a time and you would need one for each cylinder," he said. "We hope to eventually use new semiconductor lasers that would be much, much cheaper – we know that they are not far off achieving the energy levels we would require, but they are not quite there yet. "

However, Shenton insisted that the technology could become commercially viable within a few years and also downplayed any suggestion that the use of laser beams as part of an internal combustion engine could present a safety threat.

"The lasers we are using are powerful enough to blind people," he admitted. "But our design works by focusing the laser down a fibre optic cable – the system then automatically disables the laser if the cable is removed or breaks. "