Abstract: System and methods for operating a vehicle that includes a boosted engine are described. In one example, a spark plug may be adjusted between two operating states to reduce a possibility of pre-ignition and spark plug fouling. A first operating state may be conducive to operating the engine at light loads. The first operating state may be conducive to operating the engine at higher loads.

Abstract: System and methods for operating a vehicle that includes a boosted engine are described. In one example, a spark plug may be adjusted between two operating states to reduce a possibility of pre-ignition and spark plug fouling. A first operating state may be conducive to operating the engine at light loads. The first operating state may be conducive to operating the engine at higher loads.

Abstract: Methods and systems are provided for a pre-chamber. In one example, a system includes a pre-chamber and a piston arranged in a combustion chamber. The piston and/or combustion chamber comprise one or more features configured to force squish flow into the pre-chamber.

Abstract: Methods and systems are provided for controlling an engine idle-stop based on upcoming traffic and road conditions. In one example, a method may include receiving data including traffic information and road characteristics immediately ahead of a vehicle from one or more remote sources, and adjusting one or more vehicle thresholds based on the received data. A duration of a prospective engine idle-stop may be estimated based on the received data and an engine idle-stop may be initiated based on the duration of the prospective engine idle-stop and the adjusted one or more vehicle threshold.

Abstract: System and methods for operating a vehicle that includes a boosted engine are described. In one example, a spark plug may be adjusted between two operating states to reduce a possibility of pre-ignition and spark plug fouling. A first operating state may be conducive to operating the engine at light loads. The first operating state may be conducive to operating the engine at higher loads.

Abstract: Methods and systems are provided for improving the manner in which different fuel types are used under different driving scenarios. In one example, a method may include determining a travel route based on a particular transportation request input by a customer into a software application, where the software application selects a vehicle from a plurality of available vehicles to fulfill the transportation request based on a relative fuel octane content of fuel stored by the available vehicles. In this way, appropriate fuel type usage for different driving scenarios may be improved, and non-appropriate fuel type usage may be avoided.

Abstract: A vehicle includes a controller that may be configured to, responsive to receiving a delivery request associated with a drone, periodically transmit a current location, trip route information, and acceleration data of the vehicle to guide the drone to a rendezvous location, and responsive to receiving a proximity notification associated with the drone, open a delivery opening of the vehicle.

Abstract: Data are collected on a turbidity of a fuel tank at each of a plurality of fueling stations. A fueling station is selected based on the collected data. A vehicle is moved to the selected fueling station.

Abstract: Data are collected on at least one of a coolant temperature of a vehicle, an atmospheric ozone level, and air quality. A refueling time is determined based on the collected data. The vehicle is moved to a fueling station based on the refueling time.

Abstract: Methods and systems are provided for operating an engine with a series gap igniter. In one example, a system may include a series gap igniter coupled to a cylinder head of a cylinder, the series gap igniter including a first spark gap in an internal volume of the series gap igniter and a second spark gap of the series gap igniter external to the internal volume of the series gap igniter and within a clearance volume of the cylinder. In this way, a cylinder with a series gap igniter may be operated to efficiently and reliably initiate combustion over a range of engine operating conditions.

Abstract: Methods and systems are provided for increasing a temperature of a catalyst of an engine by operating the engine in a split lambda catalyst heating mode. In one example, a method may include, while operating an engine in a split lambda catalyst heating mode, adjusting a magnitude of a lambda split between a rich set of combustion events and a lean set of combustion events based on soot formation in the rich set of combustion events. In this way, catalyst temperature may be increased while maintaining engine efficiency and preventing soot formation in the cylinders.

Abstract: Methods and systems are provided for operating a cylinder with a series gap igniter coupled to an ion sensing module. In one example, a method may include determining a location of an initial combustion in a cylinder from a series gap igniter based on a pressure rise rate in the cylinder, the ignition spark initiating combustion in the cylinder; and adjusting at least one setting of the cylinder based on the determined location. In this way, combustion stability and efficiency may be increased without increasing a cost and complexity of the engine.

Abstract: Methods and systems are provided for increasing a temperature of a catalyst of an engine by operating the engine in a split lambda catalyst heating mode. In one example, a method may include, while operating an engine in a split lambda catalyst heating mode, adjusting a magnitude of a lambda split between a rich set of combustion events and a lean set of combustion events based on soot formation in the rich set of combustion events. In this way, catalyst temperature may be increased while maintaining engine efficiency and preventing soot formation in the cylinders.

Abstract: Methods and systems are provided for operating a cylinder with a series gap igniter coupled to an ion sensing module. In one example, a method may include determining a location of an initial combustion in a cylinder from a series gap igniter based on a pressure rise rate in the cylinder, the ignition spark initiating combustion in the cylinder; and adjusting at least one setting of the cylinder based on the determined location. In this way, combustion stability and efficiency may be increased without increasing a cost and complexity of the engine.

Abstract: A vehicle includes a generator for supplying power to a load; and one or more controllers, programmed to responsive to detecting a fuel level reaching a predefined critical value, stop the generator and instruct a second vehicle to start to generate power, the vehicle serving as a pass-through conduit between the load and the second vehicle.

Abstract: A drone control method is provided. The method may be responsive to drone recharge energy cost being greater than a predefined threshold and include commanding a processor of the drone to execute actions that preclude the drone from recharging. The method may also be responsive to drone charge level falling below a charge threshold selected only while the drone recharge energy cost exceeds the predefined threshold and include commanding the processor to execute actions to recharge the drone.

Abstract: A system includes a processor configured to wirelessly receive data indicating vehicle-feature usage for an individual vehicle. The processor is also configured to aggregate received data to form a feature-usage customer profile defining feature preferences. The processor is further configured to select vehicles associated with a customer-classification, including predefined feature-usage characteristics, the customer-classification determined based on a correlation between the predefined feature-usage characteristics and the aggregated data in the feature-usage profile defining feature preferences. The processor is also configured to compare the aggregated data to the selected vehicles to determine a vehicle having features preferred by a customer as indicated by the aggregated data in the feature-usage profile and recommend the determined vehicle to the customer.

Abstract: Methods and systems are provided for operating an engine with a series gap igniter. In one example, a system may include a series gap igniter coupled to a cylinder head of a cylinder, the series gap igniter including a first spark gap in an internal volume of the series gap igniter and a second spark gap of the series gap igniter external to the internal volume of the series gap igniter and within a clearance volume of the cylinder. In this way, a cylinder with a series gap igniter may be operated to efficiently and reliably initiate combustion over a range of engine operating conditions.

Abstract: Systems and methods for providing spark to an engine are described. In one example, engine knock limited spark timing is expressed as a straight line that is determined in response to engine knock, spark timing, and engine load. The method and system described herein may be performed without extensive engine calibration and mapping.

Abstract: Methods and systems for adjusting a tuning state of a pendulum damper are provided. In one example, an engine system is provided that includes a crankshaft coupled to a plurality of pistons in a plurality of cylinders. The crankshaft includes a plurality of pendulums coupled to a plurality of cheeks and a pendulum tuning mechanism coupled to an associated pendulum included in the plurality of pendulums or coupled to an associated pendulum in a torque converter and configured to tune damping characteristics of the associated pendulum based on an engine order.