Innovations abound in automotive development these days. As carmakers struggle to become more green in all respects, technologies are developing to make engines more efficient and burn more cleanly. Government mandates and the price of fuel have driven designers to find new ways to save gas and increase your miles per gallon. While these conditions might be frustrating for you, me and our wallets, there's no denying that the gadgets they're producing are exciting. The gasoline price crisis is a powerful thing. In fact, the last time we saw great strides in automotive technology was during a time of fuel crisis. Thanks to the great shortages of the '70s, tech geeks got busy and developed the first mass market fuel injection systems, greatly increasing gas mileage while working within the government's increasingly stringent emissions standards. Leap to the 21st century and here we are again, looking at a great leap in fuel delivery with the advent of direct injection, which delivers up to a 2900-psi shot of fuel directly into the combustion chamber. As these systems work their way into production, we'll need to teach ourselves how to maintain and repair them. You can get a jump start on this technology by reading up on how direct injection works. It's never too early to learn about auto repair!

_{photo of injector in action courtesy the Robert Bosch Corporation.}