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Ethanol Was Once a Much Cheaper Alternative – Compared to Gasoline Prices – and Can Ensure the Survival of Combustion Engines in Light of the Current Race Among Electric Car Manufacturers
Neither the past of those who had the world’s first ethanol car nor the future were able to motivate Fiat to continue developing the E4 engine, an alcohol version of the 1.3 GSE Turbo engine that is debuting now in Brazil with the Fiat Toro 2022.
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The ethanol-powered 1.3 GSE Turbo engine, announced two years ago, alongside the investment of R$ 500 million to produce a new family of turbo engines (which also includes the 1.0 GSE Turbo debuting in Project 363) in Brazil, the so-called E4 engine, would focus on high energy efficiency in burning vegetable fuel.
At that time, Fiat informed that it was developing an engine “with turbo technology aimed solely at the combustion of ethanol” and that it would have a “national patent.” The goal would be “to reduce the consumption gap of ethanol compared to gasoline, which is currently at 30%.”
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The Idea of a Turbo Ethanol Engine Was Old
QUATRO RODAS discovered at the time that the idea of a turbo alcohol engine was old, from the times of the 1.4 T-Jet engines, and that there was a patent for a “high-efficiency ethanol engine” registered with the INPI (National Institute of Industrial Property) since February 1, 2013.
However, the E4 engine project ended up serving as a laboratory for the creation of the flex version of the 1.3 GSE turbo engine. Today, Stellantis dismisses the production of engines powered exclusively by alcohol, largely due to consumer acceptance. After all, it would be offered in cars like the Fiat Toro and Jeep Compass, which are in a price range where fuel cost is not a major concern.
How Does the 1.3 GSE Turbo Engine Avoid the Problems of Flex Engines?
Fiat has never hidden that the project was based on the 1.3 GSE turbo engine, which is quite modern in itself. The automaker’s goal was to modify it sufficiently to elevate its efficiency with ethanol to an unprecedented level – one that flex engines are far from achieving.
But the version that debuts now with the new Toro, and which will soon be in the 2022 Jeep Compass, is flex and was designed to have the best fuel efficiency with both gasoline and ethanol.
After Chevrolet, Ford, and Volkswagen, the Multinational Fiat Suspends Vehicle Production in Its Factory and Places 1,900 Employees on Collective Vacation
Following Ford’s exit from Brazil, the global supply crisis, and the pandemic that forced automakers like Chevrolet, Honda, Audi (Volkswagen), Scania, Volvo, and Mercedes-Benz, Renault, and Nissan to suspend vehicle production, it is now Fiat’s turn, and the automotive industry in the country may be on the verge of collapse.
Last Monday, Fiat’s factory in Betim stopped the second production shift due to a lack of supplies, sending 1,900 employees into an initial 10-day vacation.
Fiat did not disclose the volume of vehicles that will not be produced nor the most affected models during this stoppage. In March, the automaker also had to halt production for the same reason.
Fiat and Chevrolet face similar problems due to the shortage of available components in the global market. Industries that depend on raw materials to manufacture their products can no longer meet the demand for their goods in sufficient quantities.
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