How exactly do we get some much power from engine now, than we did 40, 50, 60 years ago?

Question

I know in the last 30 years turbos and superchargers have made it easier to make power, but I always hear about huge 7 or 8 liter engines made in the 70s or earlier, that will make like 200 hp at best. How is it possible to get so little out of so much displacement?

In: 37

Answer 1

Also keep in mind that internal combustion engines aren’t very efficient overall at converting the energy stored in the gasoline into kinetic energy. (aka a lot of the energy from gasoline is converted into heat instead.)

My favorite recent real-world example is that a current model Ford F150 Lightning with the largest-capacity battery is only capable of carrying the energy equivalent of 4 gallons of gasoline.