Lasers to Replace Conventional Spark Plugs in Gasoline Engines

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Spark plugs have part of petrol-fed internal combustion engines for the longest time. But as automotive engineers look into greneener vehicles, will lasers help solve the puzzle of inefficient fuel burn?

Conventional spark plugs have one inherent limitation. When a spark plug fires, only the top of the cylinder gets a charge, which means some fuel will eventually be wasted (and more particulates get ejected into the air). Lasers will emit a more uniform and far-reaching beam of energy, which should ensure better fuel burn, and therefore better fuel efficiency.

It has not been easy to adapt lasers into automotive technology, though. But engineers at the National Institute of Natural Sciences in Japan have recently found a way to fit lasers into combustion engines using strong ceramics. Once installed, the lasers have a longer lifespan than spark plugs (which usually require replacement every 40,000 miles or so, depending on duty). These have been designed to fit even small-displacement engines, and will be able to fire at nanosecond accuracy.

This means that once laser-based “spark plugs” are out to market, we might be able to make our conventional cars more fuel efficient and ultimately more environmentally-friendly. This also means that you don’t have to spend thousands to buy a new electric vehicle or hybrid when your conventional gasoline-powered car can also be as eco-friendly.