Lotus Omnivore Concept Engine

[Plex]

We've been covering the Lotus Omnivore engine--a flex-fuel concept that can burn any blend of gasoline or alcohol--since the project was unveiled in 2008. Today, Lotus Engineering released an inside look at the technology by way of an interactive animated video.

The idea of burning multiple types of fuel in a car isn't new--GM and other carmakers have had flex-fuel vehicles on the road for years now. But doing so efficiently is a whole other challenge. Last December, we brought you word that Lotus had figured out how to make its Omnivore engine up to 10 percent more efficient than a state-of-the-art direct-injection gasoline engine thanks to the use of a two-stroke cycle and a variable compression ratio.

The variable compression ratio works by using a puck in the cylinder head to optimize the fuel burn. The system can go as high as a 40:1 compression ratio. That's a sky-high figure--a typical modern engine lies somewhere between 10:1 and 13:1. But it lets Lotus cram more air in with the fuel to get the most out of every drop, no matter what ratio of alcohol or gasoline that drop's made of.

Check out the interactive animated demo below to learn more about the Omnivore engine concept.

http://www.motorauthority.com/blog/1041894_video-lotus-engineering-unveils-animated-omnivore-engine-demo


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Here is a youtube clip i found similar to the animated flash video in the link above