"Hyundai is always looking at all kinds of startups through our CRADLE venturing division," stated Miles Johnson, senior manager for quality, service, and technology. "We can't comment on this company at this time."

MWI has begun to discuss the use of its ignition system in mass-produced vehicles with Chinese and Korean automakers, according to Bloomberg . One of these companies could be Hyundai, which is pursuing a lofty 50 percent thermal efficiency target from its internal combustion engines under a program called SmartStream . The Drive contacted Hyundai and MWI to inquire as to whether the two are in touch, though a spokesperson for the former declined to comment.

The tech is under development by MWI Micro Wave Ignition AG of Empfingen, Germany, which claims that its ignition system can be used in both gasoline and diesel engines, reducing fuel consumption by as much as 30 percent. Additionally, lower combustion temperatures are said to reduce nitrous oxide emissions—normally caused by high combustion temperatures—by as much as 80 percent. MWI even says that engines don't need to be redesigned to accommodate the technology, which can be retrofitted to existing production engines.

One certain near-future appearance of microwave pulse ignition will be in Porsche Supercup, a spec racing series in which all competitors use the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup. MWI announced Thursday that it has partnered with longtime entry Fach Auto Tech, which has competed in Porsche Supercup since the series' second year of competition in 1994.

"I am very pleased to have an innovative company like MWI AG by our side," said Alex Fach. "Our partnership is about helping each other by exchanging know-how. We will actively support the company in advancing the technology. At the same time, this provides us the opportunity to become one of the first parties to benefit from this new technology in the future."

"With this partnership, MWI has the opportunity to bring a highly modern, new technology to racing," added MWI CEO and co-founder Armin Gallatz. "With the mutual support and knowledge transfer between the two partners, we will explore ways to bring microwave ignition to high-performance engines."

MWI does not bill its ignition system as a way to increase an engine's power output, though many past technologies meant to make engines more efficient have been repurposed for performance. Hybridization, for example, started out as an augmentation to economy cars but has been recognized for its potential in the racing world with heavy use in endurance racing and Formula 1. Efficiency can often be turned on its head to produce power, and microwave ignition could be another route toward power increases.

Even if microwave ignition has no tangible performance benefit, its claimed emissions reductions could be crucial to keeping our beloved internal combustion cars on the market and on the road. For all we know, microwave ignition could help automakers like the above Hyundai or even Mazda with its planned Skyactiv-3 engine series to achieve sky-high thermal efficiency figures, as great as 56 percent in the latter's case.

Mazda, in particular, is known for playing with advanced ignition systems, such as the spark-controlled compression ignition system in its upcoming Skyactiv-X engine. It has played with plasma and laser ignition as ways to revive its Wankel rotary engine for one last hurrah, balking each time at the cost of these systems, but if microwave ignition proves a cheaper alternative, the long-awaited return of the RX series of rotary sports cars could be more than a fantasy.