Ford to use lasers to ignite and burn fuel.

snipped-for-privacy@webtv.net wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@storefull-3172.bay.webtv.net:

Hmm. Problematic at best. Would be better to vapourize the fuel that way. Less power required and would work better. Pre-injection of course. Besides, what happens when the lens (or all of them) gets covered in deposits hmm?

Somebody wasted *way* too much time watching Austin Power movies IMHO.

Maybe they could use those fancy lasers to heat water in a boiler and bring back the steam engines. cuhulin

snipped-for-privacy@webtv.net wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@storefull-3171.bay.webtv.net:

Or get a hold of some tritium (pure nonsence BTW - they use hydrogen sub

This promises to be another high priced, high maintenance fiasco by the Turd Motor Company

The whole point of a research effort is to investigate the opportunities that an alternative ignition system might offer. At the research phase there is no guarantee that the system will ever make it into production.

I applaud Ford for questioning the status quo on some of the "taken-for- granted" engine subsystems.

I think I read somewhere about two or three months ago, something like that is already being used in some applications.

Not spark plugs or Ford, but laser ignition system. cuhulin

The ignition system, taken alone, is not so very interesting. Ignition already does a really good job, and is more or less inexpensive and dependable.

Ford had investigated an experimental stratified charge system that held a lot of promise, and this ignition system applied to that particular engine might be a solution.

I just dont want any more overengineered, overly expensive, poorly durable systems.

I can't see a laser system being worth the headache to develop. Granted, I also don't see any particularly major downside to it (beyond the probable cost factor) but the reality is, when it comes right down to cases, ignition seems to me like ignition.

Trying to do the ignition system thing with a laser seems to me a lot like excessive "gizmo-fication". I just can't see how using a laser instead of the current electrical systems could give any useful advantage. (Except to the folks who sell it, if/when it becomes more than a pipe-dream.)