Fuel efficiency

When Gibson introduced the Flying V electric guitar in 1958, it divided opinion. A bold new aviation concept out of TU Delft is sure to do the same. Wearing the same moniker as Gibson's iconic instrument, the design is aimed at improving aircraft efficiency and sustainability.

British company Camcon Automotive has built a fully digital engine valve system, uncoupled from the crank, that offers unprecedented control over the combustion cycle. It enables some weird and wonderful ideas we've never seen before, such as giving 4-stroke engines brief 2-stroke power boosts​.

Shell Lubricants has teamed up with Connecticut-based AirFlow Truck Company on "the Starship," a concept big rig fitted with various fuel-saving technologies that is being sent from sea to shining sea on a road trip to test its performance.

With fuel accounting for a significant proportion of truck running costs these days, the quest for fuel efficiency has been attracting increasing attention.​ XStream Trucking's approach is to literally close the gap between the cab and the trailer at highway speeds.​

Researchers in Sweden are developing a device that increases the fuel efficiency of trucks by cloaking them in electric wind. Using plasma actuators to charge the air, the new technology controls the flow of wind around the truck to reduce drag and could improve fuel consumption by five percent.

Volvo's SuperTruck concept has been designed to address fuel economy and emissions issues, which has been fitted with a prototype hybrid powertrain. Fuel consumption is reduced by 5 to 10 percent by allowing the diesel engine to shut off up to 30 percent of the time.

Taking inspiration from nature, engineers at the UC Riverside have found a way to cut the fuel consumption of many PHEVs by over 30 percent, just by changing the way the split between combustion engine and battery power is handled.

A 2017 Kia Niro EX has set a new Guinness World Record for the fuel efficiency of a hybrid car being driven from coast-to-coast in the US. The crossover completed the 3,715-mile journey with a consumption of 76.6 mpg.

Forget variable length intakes and variable valve timing, Infiniti is going all the way and introducing variable cylinder compression ratios. The new VC-T turbo engine automatically adjusts between a high-powered 8:1 and a hugely efficient 14:1 ratio as you drive.

It's been over three years since Elio Motors' three-wheeled, two-passenger vehicle first crossed our radar with no firm production or delivery dates in sight just yet. The startup is now asking its enthusiastic fans​ for binding commitments to purchase an Elio to help it secure government loans.

Yamaha has introduced a fuel-saving stop/start system on its new Janus scooter, a 125cc, slightly retro scoot weighing 97 kg and targeted at female riders in the Vietnamese market, where a massive 2.85 million motorcycles and scoots are sold per year.

Having previewed the competing teams and tried out one of the cars ourselves in the run-up to the event, we're now able to reveal the results of the 2016 Shell Eco-marathon Europe, which was held in London over the weekend. The overall winning team was French team Microjoule-La Joliverie.