TOKYO -- Isuzu Motors said Thursday it has developed a ceramic internal combustion engine that is capable of generating more power than the conventional type while cutting fuel consumption by half.
The prototype, a 1,995 cc turbo-charged diesel model, will be displayed at the Tokyo Motor Show opening Friday, a company spokesman said.
Developed together with Kyocera, the leading Japanese industrial ceramics products maker, the combustion chamber of the ceramic engine is built with the highly heat-resistant material that is capable of withstanding up to 2,000 degrees (C) of heat without a cooling system, Isuzu officials said.
Test results show that the ceramic engine can generate 30 percent more power at half the level of fuel consumption, Isuzu officials said.
Isuzu, however, stressed that the model is only a prototype and that the company still has to iron out durability and other unspecified technical problems before the engine can be put into commercial use.
Specifically Isuzu engineers will have to make the ceramics more durable. The the material, while highly heat-resistant, cracks easily, auto experts said.
The Isuzu spokesman confirmed durability is among the unresolved technical problems but indicated the Isuzu engineers would be able to overcome them.
