Vehicles Using Atkinson Cycle Engines
While a modified Otto cycle engine using the Atkinson cycle provides good fuel economy, it is at the expense of a lower power-per-displacement as compared to a traditional four-stroke engine. If demand for more power is intermittent, the power of the engine can be supplemented by an electric motor during times when more power is needed. This forms the basis of an Atkinson cycle-based hybrid electric drivetrain. These electric motors can be used independently of, or in combination with, the Atkinson cycle engine, to provide the most efficient means of producing the desired power. This drive train first entered production in late 1997 in the Japanese-market Toyota Prius.
At this writing, most production full hybrid-electric vehicles use Atkinson cycle engines:
- Chevrolet Tahoe Hybrid electric (four-wheel drive) with a compression ratio of 10.8:1
- Ford C-Max (front wheel drive / US market) hybrid & plug-in hybrid models
- Ford Escape/Mercury Mariner/Mazda Tribute electric (front- and four-wheel drive) with a compression ratio of 12.4:1
- Ford Fusion Hybrid/Mercury Milan Hybrid/Lincoln MKZ Hybrid electric (front-wheel drive) with a compression ratio of 12.3:1
- Hyundai Sonata Hybrid (front-wheel drive)
- Infiniti M35h Hybrid (rear-wheel drive)
- Kia Optima Hybrid (front-wheel drive)
- Lexus CT200h (front-wheel drive)
- Lexus GS450h hybrid electric (Rear-Wheel drive) with a compression ratio of 13.0:1
- Lexus HS250h (front-wheel drive)
- Lexus RX 450h hybrid electric (four-wheel drive)
- Mazda 3 SkyActiv (Front-wheel drive) with a 13:1 compression ratio (12:1 for North America)
- Mazda CX-5 (Front- and all-wheel drive) with a 14:1 compression ratio (13:1 for North America)
- Mercedes ML450 Hybrid (four-wheel drive) electric
- Mercedes S400 Blue Hybrid (rear-wheel drive) electric
- Toyota Camry Hybrid electric (front-wheel drive) with a compression ratio of 12.5:1
- Toyota Highlander Hybrid (2011 and newer)
- Toyota Prius hybrid electric (front-wheel drive) with a (purely geometric) compression ratio of 13.0:1
- Toyota Yaris Hybrid (front-wheel drive) with a compression ratio of 13.4:1
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