Car engines of the future could be fired by lasers rather than spark plugs which would increase the efficiency of engines and reduce pollution.

A team of engineers from Romania and Japan have developed a system which focuses up to three small laser beams further down within an engine’s cylinders and ignites the air and fuel mixture, burning more air and less fuel in the process.

Denso is looking to commercialise the technology but it’s unclear as to when it will launch in the UK.