Lotus's Omnivore engine

HETHEL, England —Lotus Engineering, along with help from Jaguar and Queen's University Belfast, is developing a unique research engine called the Omnivore that will maximize fuel efficiency while running on any type of alcohol or gasoline.

The cleverly named engine has biological roots, since an omnivore feeds on many kinds of food, from plants to animal flesh. The Oxford Encyclopedic English Dictionary also says the word can mean "making use of everything available."

"The engine design is expected to significantly increase fuel efficiency for sustainable bio alcohol fuels," said Lotus Engineering in a statement on Tuesday.

The "novel engine architecture" uses a variable compression ratio system and a two-stroke operating cycle with direct fuel injection. Lotus says the engine will be "ideally suited to flex-fuel operation."

"Alcohols possess superior combustion characteristics to gasoline which allow greater optimization. Taking full advantage of the benefits of sustainable bio alcohols will ensure a greater percentage of vehicle miles will be traveled using renewable fuels," said Mike Kimberley, CEO of Lotus Group.

Lotus already unveiled its own flex-fuel car called the Exige 270E Tri-Fuel this year at the 2008 Geneva Auto Show, which manages to output 270 horsepower with the capability to run on three different fuels: gasoline, ethanol and methanol.

What this means to you: The Omnivore engine's variable-compression-ratio system is a novel approach to maximizing fuel efficiency.