cars of today

Hybrids. Hydrogen. Fuel cells. Biofuels. There is a lot of research going on to find new ways to power the cars of the future. At ExxonMobil, we’re examining these possibilities too.

But we’re also working to improve the vehicle technologies we have right now. Why? Because, according to the European Council for Automotive Research and Development, the internal combustion engine will still power more than 95% of all vehicles in 2030. So any improvements we can make in fuel efficiency and emissions performance now could make a real difference to the environment in the short term, while we work on longer-term alternatives.

In fact, if we could find a way to improve the efficiency of every new car by 10%, the cumulative worldwide saving in CO₂ emissions, in just 10 years, could be twice as high as the annual amount of CO₂ emissions from all European light duty vehicles currently on the road.

Fuels and engines; engines and fuels
In response to demand from governments, car manufacturers and consumers, the petroleum industry has continuously developed new fuels to help reduce emissions. For example, new low-sulphur diesel fuel combined with new engine and after-treatment technologies have made a dramatic contribution to improving performance and reducing emissions. But, with the rapid worldwide growth in car ownership and usage, the drive to maintain progress continues.

For us, much of this research is focused on the way fuels and engines work together. That’s why we are working on separate programmes with Toyota and Caterpillar to design high-efficiency, low-emission fuel and engine systems. We are examining in detail what happens when different blends of molecules in petrol and diesel fuels interact with an engine during combustion.

This ground-breaking research in combustion science has the potential to improve both fuel economy and exhaust emissions in a wide range of consumer vehicles - including hybrids.