Mazda says it has new, secret way to save fuel

New tech for engines will add about 10mpg

Japanese automaker Mazda said Tuesday it had achieved a breakthrough in old- fashioned gasoline engine technology that could make conventional cars a more viable option to electric motors for a longer time.

Days after striking a partnership to collaborate on electric vehicles with bigger and wealthier competitor Toyota, the scrappy engineers at Mazda announced proprietary engine technology that they say is 20% to 30% more efficient than the automaker’s conventional systems.

They plan to deploy the technology, which also boasts improving torque, in models beginning in 2019.

The technological advancement, which Mazda won’t share with other automakers, shows how the global race to meet fuel economy regulations will take multiple forms and could pave the way for consumers to save on transportation.

Mazda dubbed its new compressionignition technology Skyactiv- X.

The new engine technology pairs a turbocharger with a piston-compressed fuel- air mix---

ture in a proprietary process that would allow combustion from compression alone, as in a diesel engine.

It would eliminate the need for spark plugs under most conditions and also would make the engine more efficient.

The automaker said its goal is to slash emissions emanating from its production and products to 50% of 2010 levels by 2030 and 90% by 2050.

With the upgraded engines, aMazda model that currently gets 30 miles per gallon could get nearly 40 miles per gallon in its next iteration, potentially saving owners at least several dollars per fill- up on a 15- gallon tank of gasoline.