POWER PLAY

Battery-electric vehicles will one day rule the road, but that doesn’t mean engineers have stopped innovating gas engines. The design of the Vc-turbo, found in the Infiniti QX50 and Nissan Altima, ups power, torque, and fuel economy while reducing emissions. Its four cylinders essentially change shape on the fly, from a compression ratio of 14:1 for light duty to a more powerful 8:1 when you mash the pedal down.