Windshield washer water would seem to have only one use--for cleaning the windshield. But researchers at Saab have other ideas: they see it as perfect for lowering combustion chamber temperature. Per Gillbrand, the company's Head of Engine Concept Development and the man who pioneered Saab's long association with the turbocharger, says use of the washer water also allows the company's four cylinder turbocharged engine to be run at Lambda 1 (the ideal air/fuel ratio for emissions and fuel economy) under all operating conditions, not just steady state--even at high engine speeds. The water injection system is triggered when full throttle is used or when speeds above 200 km/h are reached or maintained, as they may be on German autobahns. Fuel consumption is said to be reduced to 20-30% at such high speeds, the water being injected through nozzles in the intake manifold. Development of the system is now under way. Gillbrand says it is necessary to determine if anti-freeze or other washer additives might influence the effect of water injection; indications so far are that they do not. "In fact it provides a multi-fuel engine," quips Gillbrand. Only if the car were cruised at very high speeds for long distances would there be any likelihood of the washer water being exhausted, he believes. "Why should we not use something like this which is readily available instead of trying to develop something far more complex?"