Jump to content

New Engine Coming.

unit731

By unit731
in Future GM News & Rumors

Recommended Posts

unit731 Senior Enthusiast

unit731

Posted
Posted

Ursula Zerilli

Automotive News -- July 12, 2010 - 3:34 pm ET

 

 

 

DETROIT -- EcoMotors International has received $23.5 million from Microsoft Corp. Chairman Bill Gates and investor Vinod Khosla for engineering and testing of its trademarked Opoc engine technology.

 

EcoMotors said in a statement today that the investment marks a key advance in commercializing its opposed piston-opposed cylinder engine. The engine maker plans to use the funds for completing testing and building demonstration units.

 

Further details about the funding have not been disclosed.

 

EcoMotors CEO Don Runkle said it is terrific to have the support of prominent investors. He also said EcoMotors' engines will be built in Michigan because of the state's resources and talent. Runkle is a former executive of General Motors and Delphi Corp.

 

EcoMotors, based in suburban Detroit, says the Opoc architecture allows its opposed piston-opposed cylinder engines to use 50 percent fewer parts than standard engines, while providing 50 percent more fuel efficiency. Runkle says the company is working on its sixth-generation engine and the new funds may be used for the next engine configuration.

 

Touting the tech

 

Gates, also co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, said in a statement that the technology may be a stepping stone in advancing affordable, low-emission transportation.

 

Khosla co-founded Sun Microsystems in 1982 and was a general partner of the venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins, Caufield & Byers in California. In 2004, he founded venture capital firm Khosla Ventures of Menlo Park, Calif., to invest in various green technologies. The firm owns 47 percent of EcoMotors

 

 

Edited because I forgot to do a "preview".

unit731 Senior Enthusiast

unit731

Posted
  • Author
Posted

BLOOMBERG BUSINESS WEEK

 

By David Welch and Mark Clothier

 

Retired Ford (F) engineer John Coletti got a call in 2007 from Vinod Khosla, the Silicon Valley venture capitalist. Khosla, co-founder of Sun Microsystems, wanted advice on a new engine technology in which he was considering investing. A mutual friend suggested he contact Coletti, who had served as the chief of Ford's performance division. Coletti was skeptical that the design in question could deliver a promised 50 percent improvement in fuel economy. "Any time you hear about a new engine technology, you look for the Achilles' heel," the engineer said.

 

He pored over the EcoMotors International opposed-piston, opposed-cylinder (OPOC) engine. To his surprise, he concluded that it could perform as advertised. Coletti joined the company as president and chief operating officer in February 2008. Khosla and Microsoft (MSFT) founder Bill Gates were impressed, too, and together have invested $34 million in EcoMotors. They are attracted by a motor that, in theory, would allow a large pickup to achieve 27 miles per gallon. The company plans to license the technology to carmakers that would make their own OPOC engines, or manufacture and sell the engines through joint ventures.

 

Traditional engines have one piston per cylinder; EcoMotors' version has two. The design saves space and weight, allowing for a 95-pound engine that is one-third the heft of a small, conventional four-cylinder motor and 15 percent to 19 percent more efficient. Designed by Peter Hofbauer, a former Volkswagen engineer and founder of EcoMotors, the small, modular engines can be hooked together to power autos of different sizes. A pair would yield a 150-horsepower motor suitable for a midsize car like a Toyota Camry. When the car is coasting, one of the engines shuts down, delivering a 50 percent boost in fuel economy. That's a similar efficiency gain to what a hybrid gets, only EcoMotors says its model is less expensive. An OPOC engine will add roughly $600 to $900 to the cost of a vehicle, compared with an extra $3,000 for a hybrid, according to Don Runkle, chief executive officer of EcoMotors. Says Coletti: "This technology is disruptive to the industry."

 

The question is whether it will be so disruptive that manufacturers won't adopt it. The OPOC engine's flat, rectangular shape is different from that of traditional motors, which typically have vertical pistons in a taller, square block. The EcoMotors pistons are horizontal. To accommodate an OPOC engine, carmakers would have to overhaul assembly lines and redesign models. That would be a huge effort for automakers that already have billions tied up in current engine designs, says James N. Hall, principal of 2953 Analytics, a Birmingham (Mich.) consulting firm. "Engine plans are usually 10 years out," Hall adds. "They'll have to find someone who is willing to alter their plan." Coletti says that it takes $280 million to retrofit a factory and make it OPOC-ready, compared with $400 million to build a new plant.

 

Khosla emphasizes that EcoMotors has potential outside the U.S. Zhongding Holding, a Chinese auto-parts maker, has tentatively agreed to invest $18 million in the technology and has plans to build diesel and gasoline versions. In India, Khosla says, the hot car is a $2,500 Tata Nano subcompact. Increasing efficiency by adding hybrid-electric hardware could double the price the manufacturer can charge and put it out of the reach of most consumers. The EcoMotors design would be more cost-effective. "A lot of technologies have a 10- to 20-year payback," Khosla says. "This has a payback in the first year."

 

Runkle acknowledges, though, that it could be a couple of years before the engine is running in a saleable car. Finding early adopters will be critical. "Somebody will be very aggressive," he says. "I don't know who it is yet, but somebody will be."

 

The Bottom Line: Backed by Vinod Khosla and Bill Gates, EcoMotors plans a new engine that may appeal to automakers in India and China

Daryl LBZ Senior Enthusiast

Daryl LBZ

Posted
Posted
Im sure that engine will run as smooth as a Windows OS will... :thumbs:

 

That would be the smoothest running engine in the world, then.

 

 

 

 

Lol what are you smoking! :thumbs:

unit731 Senior Enthusiast

unit731

Posted
  • Author
Posted

"EcoMotors has a design called OPOC, Opposed Piston Opposed Cylinder. The design is just what it says, as you can see above, with 2 cylinders and 4 pistons. Peter Hofbauer came up with the idea when he was at Volkswagen, the outboard pistons take the place of the cylinder head and each piston only travels half the distance necessary for the full stroke, allowing higher engine speeds. An electrically controlled turbocharger can be used when necessary with adjustable boost, it can even spin up before the engine starts to give instant boost.

 

The engine can be built in a modular fashion, allowing more cylinders to be added in pairs with a clutch between the modules so one pair can be used at start or light load with the clutch adding more cylinders when required.

 

Emissions are said to be very low, meeting EPA standards for both gasoline and diesel configurations.

 

They're looking for 100 mpg in an automotive application, so just think what you could do with something like this in a motorcycle"

 

LINK

Daryl LBZ Senior Enthusiast

Daryl LBZ

Posted
Posted
If you're on a mac, the best of luck to you with that overpriced thing you got.

 

 

 

 

Lol Hell no!

Daryl LBZ Senior Enthusiast

Daryl LBZ

Posted
Posted
If you're on a mac, the best of luck to you with that overpriced thing you got.

 

 

 

 

Lol Hell no!

 

 

Oh, o.k. It's all good then! :thumbs:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yea I think macs are overpriced and I never really liked how they were set up.

tylerjenkins92@aol.com Senior Enthusiast

[email protected]

Posted
Posted
If you're on a mac, the best of luck to you with that overpriced thing you got.

 

 

 

 

Lol Hell no!

 

 

Oh, o.k. It's all good then! :thumbs:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yea I think macs are overpriced and I never really liked how they were set up.

 

I don't like it for lack of script friendly coding, thus not many programs for it. Every software must be signed by mac, or it won't work. But, most of all, I don't really care for the half eatin' apple on the front. I bet Bill Gates ate that part of the apple one day when he got hungry.

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

Go to topic listing
×
×
  • Create New...