Fox T-Bird/Cougar Forums  

In a breakthrough that may make vehicle starting issues due to fouled plugs or inclement weather a thing of the past, engineers at Ford have reportedly teamed with scientists at Liverpool University to develop a laser beam ignition system to replace ye olde spark plug. The researchers claim their technology is more efficient, more reliable, and it will enable vehicles to start easier in extreme temperatures and damp climates.

Unlike traditional spark plugs (invented way back in 1839 by Edmond Berger), laser light may be split into multiple beams distributing ignition points within the cylinders – not just at the tip of the plug. This not only aids combustion, it also lowers emissions during cold starts. Researchers also point out that the lasers use less energy than their spark plug counterparts, eliminate wear items and wires (fiber optics will carry the laser beam to the cylinders), and improve fuel burn by "watching" ignition from within the combustion chamber and sending messages back to the ECU to adjust fuel mixtures, timing, and ignition.

Two questions.

1) How do they keep the lenses clean?

2) How are they going to build these things for less than $10 a piece? As if paying for DI fuel injectors and rails won't be expensive enough, now the average grease monkey has to worry about paying for lasers every time they replace their ignition set. Fibre Optic plug wires should be nice and pricey too.

I would think that the laser itself, if capable of generating enough instant heat to ignite the intake charge, would be capable of keeping the laser lens clean.

As for the costs of replacement, yes they would be higher, but not when calculated over the lifetime of the vehicle. think about it, you might have to replace the fiber-optic cabling once in a vehicles 300,000 mile lifetime as compared to 5 or 6 times on a normal spark ignition vehicle.

Shiny Side Up!
Bill

can you hold my laser plug while i test for spark

Pretty cool stuff. With advancements like this, you can see why the days of the "dumb mechanic" have been gone for many years!

In my experience, new technology in cars NEVER ends up costing the owner less, over the long term, let alone the fact that advancements like this always raise the initial price of the vehicle. These new hub/wheel bearing assemblies were supposed to cost less in the long term, because they were supposed to last longer. Well, I priced wheel bearings out on the T-bird, and you can get them online for under $20 US. I just bought a hub bearing for my Saturn, and it cost $162 CAD ($146 US). Do you think it lasted 7x longer than the original in my Ford? Not bloody likely. This is the third one I've had to replace in as many months (two rear at once, and now a front), and I'm expecting to finish the set some time in the next year.