EGR-equipped Buick Regal Hits 40 MPG

by Jo Borras

Published: April 10th, 2014

The current Buick Regal is an excellent car. I know, because I have one parked in my garage (it’s sweet). Still, it could be better- and the guys at the SouthWest Research Institute (SWRI) have figured out a way to enhance the mid-range Buick so that it produces fewer harmful carbon emissions and gets better fuel economy.

Can’t beat that!

Far from being pie-in-the-sky thinking, however, the motivation for building this 40 MPG ultra low-emission Buick Regal comes out of necessity. Namely the 2025 CAFE regulations that will force automobile manufacturers to achieve a 54.5 miles per gallon EPA rating across their product range. At the same time, the EPA is also expected to release new, more stringent emissions standards in a bid to improve air quality and save lives. Those two factors mean there is considerable industry focus on improving both emissions and fuel efficiency without incurring huge R&D costs- and the EGR system built into the SWRI team’s 2014 Buick Regal might play a big part in that.

EGR, for those not in the know, stands for exhaust gas recirculation. In the case of the Buick Regal tester, the 2.0 Liter engine was modified so that exhaust from one dedicated cylinder is run with a rich mixture of fuel and air to reform hydrocarbon fuel into carbon monoxide and hydrogen. The reformulated exhaust gas is then cooled and looped into a patented mixer where the exhaust gasses are mixed with fresh air before going into the engine intake. “By running one cylinder rich, the excess fuel is reformed into hydrogen and carbon monoxide,” added Chris Chadwell, manager of SWRI’s Spark Ignition Engine R&D section. “The in-cylinder reformation slightly reduces the carbon dioxide and water vapor while producing large volumes of carbon monoxide, which is a good fuel, and hydrogen, which is an outstanding fuel. That provides an octane boost and a flammability boost, and extends the EGR limit of the engine.”

It’s all pretty trick stuff, in other words- and it’s not that far away from being a production-ready piece. Let’s hope the next generation of Buick Regals- heck, let’s hope they build a new ROADMASTER!- has enough slick SWRI stuff on it to still be legal, then. In the meantime, you can check out an under hood shot of the SWRI EGR-equipped 2014 Buick Regal, below. Enjoy!

Source | Photos: SWRI; Originally published on Gas 2.

#2014BuickRegal #40MPG #Buick #BuickRegal #Egr #EGRBuick #Emissions #ExhaustGas #FuelEconomy #GM #SWRI

Jo Borras

I've been in and around the auto industry since 1997, and have written for a number of well-known outlets like Cleantechnica, the Truth About Cars, Popular Mechanics, and more. You can also find me talking EVs with Matt Teske and Chris DeMorro on the Electrify Expo Podcast, writing about Swedish cars on my Volvo fan site, or chasing my kids around Oak Park.

More by Jo Borras

Comments

Join the conversation

2 of 40 comments

RogerB34 on Apr 10, 2014

Reads and looks like a maintenance nightmare. Want efficiency? Prius and Atkinson cycle.

Like Reply
NoGoYo on Apr 10, 2014

I thought 70s/80s cars with absurd smog plumbing had too much under the hood...that looks like they took part of the engine apart and snapped a photograph. No thanks. Gimme a car that works like a diesel-electric locomotive, with an engine powering hub motors.

Like Reply

Recent Comments

AZFelix With both fuel lines and battery packs, Lamborghini owners can soon wager on which part of the engine will instigate the self immolation of their super cars.
Namesakeone The realities of the market have spoken: with a little help of a lingering recession (in that most families need a car for every purpose, rather than affording multiple cars as once was true), and with a little advertising-prodding from the manufacturers, the SUV and crossover have, in turn, replaced the station wagon, the minivan, and now the sedan. (Or maybe the minivan replaced the station wagon. Whatever.) I still like cars, but the only votes are the ones that a.) come to new-car dealerships, and b.) come with money attached. Period.
MaintenanceCosts "But your author does wonder what the maintenance routine is going to be like on an Italian-German supercar that plays host to a high-revving engine, battery pack, and several electric motors."Probably not much different from the maintenance routine of any other Italian-German supercar with a high-revving engine.
28-Cars-Later "The unions" need to not be the UAW and maybe there's a shot. Maybe.
2manyvettes I had a Cougar of similar vintage that I bought from my late mother in law. It did not suffer the issues mentioned in this article, but being a Minnesota car it did have some weird issues, like a rusted brake line.(!) I do not remember the mileage of the vehicle, but it left my driveway when the transmission started making unwelcome noises. I traded it for a much newer Ford Fusion that served my daughter well until she finished college.