In the 130 year history of the internal combustion engine (ICE), automobile engine design has never reached the end of it’s lifecycle. Sure engineers have enlarged them and made them a little stronger, but the basic design has not changed since the engine’s inception. In 2013, it looks like the internal combustion engine – and it’s 1876 deisgn – will be getting a makeover. Detroit-based EcoMotors has released a new rendition of their conceptual engine: the Opposed-Piston Opposed-Cylinder Engine, or OPOC for short.
As many technologies seem to be trending towards in the 21st Century, the OPOC will be sleeker, better, faster and stronger. Engineered by twenty-year Volkswagen veteran and designer of the German diesel engine, Peter Hofbauer, the new engine will produce energy at twice the rate as a traditional ICE. Current engines use a single piston per cylinder, with each cylinder pumping “like a fist against a ceiling”; while the OPOC brings a dual-piston per cylinder design with two pistons “that come together and pull apart like hands clapping”. This means piston cycles can occur twice as fast – producing twice the power. While previous renditions of the two-stroke engine have generated large amounts of exhaust, EcoMotors believes their sixth generation OPOC changes all that with a cleaner design. Investors seem to agree: this past July, Bill Gates sunk $23.5m into the engine. This investment helps EcoMotors helps reduce the oft-run-into barrier of entry: capital requirement. The attention the investment is drawing will also help the company’s brand image.
EcoMotors’ CEO, Don Runkle, is a former employee of General Motors and was involved in the development of the EV1 all-electric car. Time will tell if a American Auto All-Star can bring the American industry back to the forefront
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