[Frank Lee]

Ethanol Boost
Lesley Bromberg, Daniel Cohnand John Heywood, from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, are developing a small turbocharged ethanol*boosted engine that is expected to be just as efficient as a hybrid.

The ethanol is used to combat knock in the standard gasoline combustion cycle when the vehicle is running at high torque. When needed, a small amount of ethanol is injected into the combustion chamber where it vaporizes, cooling the fuel and air mixture to below 3140 F. Based on computer models, the engine should develop twice the power of a spark-ignition engine and be 20 to 30 percent more fuel efficient.

Because only minor mods are necessary to mate this technology with existing ICE topology, the manufacturing cost is minimal compared to hybrids--around $1000 to $1500 instead of $3500 to $5000. However, it will require two fuel tanks--one for ethanol, the other for gasoline. An engine could be in production by 2012. "We are currently working with several automakers, including Ford," Cohn says.

5 New Takes on the Old-School Engine for Super MPGs - Popular Mechanics