Now, a device which will boost fuel efficiency up to 20%

Worried over the rising fuel cost? Well, here's some good news - scientists have developed a device that they claim could dramatically improve mileage as much as 20 per cent.

A team at Temple University has developed the small device which consists of an electrically charged tube that can be attached to the fuel line of a vehicle's engine near the fuel injector.

And, with the use of a power supply from the vehicle's battery, the device creates an electric field that thins fuel, or reduces its viscosity, so that small droplets are injected into the engine.

"This leads to more efficient and cleaner combustion than a standard fuel injector," lead scientist Rongjia Tao, a Professor of Physics at Temple University, was quoted by the 'ScienceDaily' as saying.

In fact, almost six months of road testing in a diesel-powered Mercedes-Benz automobile showed that the device increased highway fuel from 32 miles per gallon to 38 mpg, a 20 per cent boost, and a 12-15 per cent gain in city driving.

"We expect the device will have wide applications on all types of internal combustion engines, present ones and future ones," Tao said.

Further improvements in the device could lead to even better mileage, he suggested, and cited engines powered by gasoline, biodiesel, and kerosene as having potential use of the device.

The findings are published in the latest edition of the 'Energy & Fuels' journal.