Mazda is already working on the successor to its efficient Skyactiv-X motors, and thinks it could make cars as clean as EVs, if you take into account CO2 from electricity production. The automaker believes it can increase the efficiency of the Skyactiv-3 to 56 percent, close to the maximum theoretical thermal efficiency of an "Otto" cycle gas engine, Mazda's Mitsuo Hitomi told Automotive News. If it can achieve that mark, it would reduce CO2 pollution by a quarter, making Skyactiv-3 motors as efficient as EVs on a well-to-wheels basis.
As a reminder, the Skyactiv-X motor combines the fuel-efficiency of diesel motors with gasoline's lower pollution levels. It compresses the gasoline-air mixture much more than a regular motor, and then ignites it with "spark controlled compression ignition (SCCI)" tech. That allows more of the gases to be burned, providing 30 percent more power to the wheels for the same amount fuel.
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