Maurice Gunderson
Both ICE and wireless technologies are progressing faster than they did in their first century, with performance and economy advancing by leaps and bounds. We often hear remarks like, “The internal combustion engine (ICE) is a 100-year-old technology, and it’s time for it to be retired.” I’d say that’s equivalent to saying, “Radio technology is 100-years old, and it’s time for wireless devices to be retired.” On the contrary, I believe we’re at the beginning of the Second ICE Age.
There are two main factors driving ICE progress. First, advances in materials are allowing the fundamental discriminators of performance (weight, operating temperatures and pressures, friction, etc.) to advance. This is the most consistent trend through the history of energy technology. Advances in materials always enable advances in energy performance. Just as better composites led to better wind turbines in the 20th century, better materials are leading to better ICEs in the 21st century.