Automobile Technology

The country among other things has seen an enormous development in the engines which are being used in the cars these days. Carburetor engines have become obsolete and Multi Point Fuel Injection (MPFI) engines are the order of the days in petrol cars. The Diesel engines have also under gone a sea change from the time Rudolf Diesel invented it way back in the 1892. Today Common Rail Direct Injection (CRDI) is the order of the day. In this section we will briefly discuss about the technologies that are in both the engines.
MPFI (Multi Point Fuel Injection)

The fuel injections were used to meet stricter emission norms as it keeps pollutants to bare minimum and derives the maximum performance out of a vehicle by squeezing out the maximum mileage even from the last drop of fuel that goes into the engine.

It has to be noted that when these engines first made their debut in the country they were single point engines rather than multi point ones. In fact when Opel Astra first came to India they were fitted with obsolete Single Point Engines rather than the Multi- Point ones.

MPFI system injects fuel into individual cylinders after receiving command from the on board engine management system computer or Engine Control Unit (ECU).

This technology results in superior fuel combustion, better fuel management, engine performance and reduced pollution. To get the maximum out from these types of engine one should use Premium petrol like Speed etc.

Common Rail Direct Injection (CRDI)

Did you ever shy away from buying a Diesel car thinking that you would be buying a taxi? If yes then you can rethink your decision as CRDI engines are all set to revolutionize the way one looks at Diesel cars.

CRDI engine fitted cars offer 25% more power than the normal direct injection engine with a superior pickup and torque offering sometimes up to 70% more power than the conventional diesel engines.

They are smooth less noisy and immensely fuel efficient giving around 24 kilometers to a liter of Diesel. The fact that Diesel is cheaper than petrol in India further attributes greatness to the engine. In a CRDI engine, a tube or a common rail connects all the injectors and contains fuel at a constant high pressure.

This high pressure in the common rail ensures that when injected, the fuel breaks up into small particles and mixes evenly with the air, thereby leaving little un-burnt fuel thus reducing pollution. The common rail principle has been used to cut out the noise factor which used to be associated with Diesel engines; the technology has been pioneered by the Fiat group, only to be adopted by other automobile companies around the world.

Like all good things in life, these engines also come at a price; they are at least 25% more costly than the conventional engines. They also require a higher degree of maintenance and spares aren't cheap also.