Still making sparks fly

摘要

If you believe the hype, the internal combustion (IC) engine - in the face of ever-stiffening competition from electric and hydrogen-fuelled vehicles - is taking its last sputtering few breaths.rnWhile its role in a range of hybrid powertrains may afford it a stay of execution, give it 20 years, some say, and the engineering innovation that has affected the world more profoundly than any other will be little more than a museum piece.rnThat's one view. However, there are many in the automotive industry who believe that a technology now way past its centenary is still far from mature.