{"id":113142,"date":"2017-01-16T11:03:52","date_gmt":"2017-01-16T16:03:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.thedetroitbureau.com\/?p=113142"},"modified":"2017-01-16T11:03:52","modified_gmt":"2017-01-16T16:03:52","slug":"new-achates-engine-design-could-double-mileage","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/2017\/01\/new-achates-engine-design-could-double-mileage\/","title":{"rendered":"New Achates Engine Design Could Double Mileage"},"content":{"rendered":"
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A 2.7-liter version of the Achates opposed-piston engine making 270 hp and 479 lb-ft.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

With the Environmental Protection Agency upholding the tough, 2025 Corporate Average Fuel Economy standards, automakers are going to face a tough challenge. Barring a reversal by the incoming Trump Administration, they\u2019ll have to deliver an average 54.5 miles per gallon by 2025.<\/p>\n

The general consensus is that this will mean widespread use of electrifications \u2013 from conventional hybrids to pure battery-electric vehicles. But a small research and engineering firm, based in San Diego, thinks it has a viable \u2013 and far more cost-effective — solution that could deliver nearly twice the mileage of conventional gas engines \u2013 as much as 37 mpg for even full-size pickup trucks.<\/p>\n

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Tech News!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Achates opposed-piston engine \u201cwill be 50% more efficient than the leading gas turbocharged direct-injection engine on the market today,\u201d said Dave Johnson, a former Ford Motor Co. engineer who now serves as CEO of Achates Power.<\/p>\n

The new engine design would also deliver about 30% better mileage than existing diesel engines.<\/p>\n

(EPA finalizes 54.5 CAFE rules. <\/em>Click Here<\/span><\/a> for the latest.)<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/em><\/strong>At first glance, an Achates engine looks a lot like a conventional gas or diesel engine, and that\u2019s entirely intentional. The goal, explained Johnson during a small media roundtable in Detroit, is to make the opposed-piston engine, or OPE, \u201cplug-and-play.\u201d In other words, company officials claim that their design could readily be produced in existing engine plants and then slipped into existing vehicles with only the slightest of modifications.<\/p>\n

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This cutaway shows how the two pistons move towards each other in the cylinders.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

As the name implies, an opposed-piston engine has two pistons per cylinder. As the engine runs, they move towards each other inside the cylinder, almost like boxers aiming fists at one another. The design requires two crankshafts but eliminates the costly cylinder head and a number of other engine components. That means the cost of the engine should be about the same \u2013 and possibly even cheaper \u2013 than current gasoline engines.<\/p>\n

The OPE is a two-stroke, compared to the four-stroke cycle that now dominates internal combustion design. Unlike the two-strokes found in power tools and in a handful of older vehicles, however, Achates claims its engine produces significantly less emissions than today\u2019s gas or diesel powertrains \u2013 and doesn\u2019t burn oil the way old two-strokes did.<\/p>\n

Like a diesel, an Achates design uses compression ignition. In other words, the gas\/air mixture self-ignites, rather than relying on a spark plug. But the OPE can readily be tuned to use gasoline or diesel, as well as a range of other fuels, including hydrogen, LPG or compressed natural gas.<\/p>\n

Equally promising, Achates research suggests the technology could be used in engines as small as 500 cc, or as big as what you might find in a semi-truck. In fact, less advanced opposed-piston engine designs have been around for decades, used in applications such as aircraft and, quite commonly, tugboats. The first design for an opposed-piston engine actually dates back to 1882 and was conceived by James Atkinson, the same engineer whose Atkinson Cycle is now used by many hybrid gas engines.<\/p>\n

The Achates design is meant to improve performance, efficiency and emissions, Johnson explained, noting that the company now has a dozen different development programs underway, funded by nine automakers. He would not reveal specific clients but hinted that both automotive and truck clients are in the mix. Several industry insiders contacted by TheDetroitBureau.com said they were aware of, and intrigued by, Achates research, though there remains plenty of skepticism.<\/p>\n

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Achates believes it could deliver 37 mpg in a truck as big as the Ford F-150.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve heard about plenty of breakthrough engines that ultimately never amounted to anything,\u201d said Bob Lutz, the now-retired global product development director for General Motors.<\/p>\n

For his part, however, Achates CEO Johnson is entirely upbeat. After years of development, he insists that the OPE will soon be ready to move from the research lab to the street, and that in the near future, \u201cAny vehicle that has an internal combustion engine today will use this engine.\u201d<\/p>\n

Whether that optimism will prove out remains to be seen. Achates expects to have a demonstrator vehicle on the road by next year. It will use a 2.7-liter version of the engine making 270 horsepower and 479 pound-feet of torque. \u00a0Achates also expects to reach 37 mpg.<\/p>\n

Those are good numbers for a full-size pickup, the type of vehicle Achates seems most interested in targeting initially. And for good reason considering that a vehicle like the Ford F-150 or Chevrolet Silverado will need to deliver 33 mpg to meet the future CAF\u00c9 target. So far, the best any maker has achieved is 21 city, 29 highway and 24 combined with the Ram 1500 EcoDiesel — though the EPA\u2019s new claim that Fiat Chrysler Automobiles cheated on emissions raises doubts about those figures.<\/p>\n

(FCA charged with rigging diesel emissions. <\/em>Click Here<\/span><\/a> for that breaking story.)<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Who will be first to put Achates\u2019 engine into production? Johnson and his development team won\u2019t say, but they insist that this time, a breakthrough engine finally will be a breakout that could breathe new life into internal combustion technology, making it possible to meet the new mileage standards while keeping vehicles within reach of the typical consumer.<\/p>\n

(Trump nominates Oklahoma AG to head EPA. <\/em>Click Here<\/a>\u00a0for details.)<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

With the EPA finalizing the 54.5 mpg fuel economy rule, automakers may have to offer a lot more battery-based vehicles. Or will they? Achates, a small San Diego R&D firm is showing off a potentially breakthrough opposed-piston engine that can run on gas or diesel and double the mileage of current engines. The story from TheDetroitBureau.com.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":113144,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"make":[],"post-state":[],"category_old":[151],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/113142"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=113142"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/113142\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/113144"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=113142"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=113142"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=113142"},{"taxonomy":"make","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/make?post=113142"},{"taxonomy":"post-state","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/post-state?post=113142"},{"taxonomy":"category_old","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/category_old?post=113142"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}