Achates Power is an American developer of

opposed-piston An opposed-piston engine is a piston engine in which each cylinder has a piston at both ends, and no cylinder head. Petrol and diesel opposed-piston engines have been used mostly in large-scale applications such as ships, military tanks, and f ...

two-stroke A two-stroke (or two-stroke cycle) engine is a type of internal combustion engine that completes a Thermodynamic power cycle, power cycle with two strokes (up and down movements) of the piston during one power cycle, this power cycle being comple ...

compression ignition The diesel engine, named after Rudolf Diesel, is an internal combustion engine in which ignition of the fuel is caused by the elevated temperature of the air in the cylinder due to mechanical compression; thus, the diesel engine is a so-calle ...

engines for use in commercial and passenger vehicles. Based in

San Diego, California San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United States ...

, the company was founded in 2004 by James U Lemke. According to Achates Power, its opposed-piston, two-stroke engine has demonstrated an increase in

fuel efficiency Fuel efficiency is a form of thermal efficiency, meaning the ratio of effort to result of a process that converts chemical potential energy contained in a carrier (fuel) into kinetic energy or work. Overall fuel efficiency may vary per device, wh ...

and similar engine-out emissions levels. In 2014, the company published a technical paper citing a 30 percent fuel economy improvement when its engine was benchmarked against a next-generation

diesel Diesel may refer to: * Diesel engine, an internal combustion engine where ignition is caused by compression * Diesel fuel, a liquid fuel used in diesel engines * Diesel locomotive, a railway locomotive in which the prime mover is a diesel engin ...

engine equipped with advanced technologies. In December 2012, the company announced that it had been selected as a subcontractor to AVL Powertrain Engineering, Inc. to build the next-generation combat engine for the U.S. Army. Less than a year later, in October 2013, Achates Power and

Fairbanks Morse Engine Enpro is a US-based industrial technology company that designs and manufactures products and materials for technology-intensive sectors. The company serves industries such as semiconductors, aerospace, power generation, heavy-duty trucking, ag ...

signed a joint development and licensing agreement to reduce emissions and fuel consumption of Fairbanks Morse proprietary and dual-fuel opposed-piston engines. Achates Power is privately owned and backed by

Sequoia Capital Sequoia Capital is an American venture capital firm. The firm is headquartered in Menlo Park, California, and specializes in seed stage, early stage, and growth stage investments in private companies across technology sectors. , Sequoia's total a ...

, RockPort Capital Partners, Madrone Capital Partners, Triangle Peak Partners and Interwest Partners.

Engine

The Achates Power

opposed-piston engine An opposed-piston engine is a piston engine in which each cylinder has a piston at both ends, and no cylinder head. Petrol and diesel opposed-piston engines have been used mostly in large-scale applications such as ships, military tanks, and ...

, is modeled after the opposed-piston architecture made popular by the Junkers Jumo 205/207 aviation engines developed in the 1930s. The design positions two pistons per cylinder—working in opposite, reciprocating motion. This eliminates parts including the cylinder head and valvetrain, improving overall engine efficiency as these components are considered primary contributors to heat and friction losses.Flint, Martin; Pirault, Jean-Pierre (October 2009) Opposed Piston Engines – Evolution, Use and Future Applications, The cylinder head and valvetrain systems are also among the most complex and costly elements of conventional engines. The two-stroke cycle compounds the efficiency benefits of the opposed-piston engine architecture. With this cycle, each combustion event is shorter in duration and, therefore, closer to optimum timing as compared to

four-stroke engine A four-stroke (also four-cycle) engine is an internal combustion (IC) engine in which the piston completes four separate strokes while turning the crankshaft. A stroke refers to the full travel of the piston along the cylinder, in either directio ...

s. Two-stroke engines are also smaller in displacement and size compared to four-stroke engines for similar performance. While development of historic opposed-piston engines ceased for use in on-road car and truck applications with the introduction of modern

emissions standards Emission standards are the legal requirements governing air pollutants released into the atmosphere. Emission standards set quantitative limits on the permissible amount of specific air pollutants that may be released from specific sources over ...

, Achates Power says that it has patented many modifications to the original architecture in order to meet current standards.

Emission reduction claims

Achates claims that its two-stroke opposed piston engine can achieve lower emissions of nitrogen oxides (

NOx In atmospheric chemistry, is shorthand for nitric oxide () and nitrogen dioxide (), the nitrogen oxides that are most relevant for air pollution. These gases contribute to the formation of smog and acid rain, as well as affecting tropos ...

) than an equivalent four-stroke engine for several reasons. For example: * The

Selective catalytic reduction Selective catalytic reduction (SCR) is a means of converting nitrogen oxides, also referred to as with the aid of a catalyst into diatomic nitrogen (), and water (). A reductant, typically anhydrous ammonia (), aqueous ammonia (), or a urea () s ...

(SCR) system can be brought up to optimum working temperature more quickly *

Exhaust gas recirculation In internal combustion engines, exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) is a nitrogen oxide () emissions reduction technique used in petrol/gasoline, diesel engines and some hydrogen engines. EGR works by recirculating a portion of an engine's exhaust ...

(EGR) can be controlled by varying the pressure differential between the inlet and exhaust manifolds

Development Timeline

2004: Company founded by James Lemke with investment from the late John Walton, son of

Sam Walton Samuel Moore Walton (March 29, 1918 – April 5, 1992) was an American business magnate best known for founding the retailers Walmart and Sam's Club, which he started in 1962 and 1983 respectively. Wal-Mart Stores Inc. grew to be the world's l ...

, the founder of

Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. Walmart Inc. (; formerly Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.) is an American multinational retail corporation that operates a chain of hypermarkets (also called supercenters), discount department stores, and grocery stores from the United States, headquarter ...

2005: Engine testing begins at the company's in-house test cell
2007: Series A venture capital round led by

with investments from RockPort Capital Partners, Madrone Capital Partners and InterWest Partners; company receives DARPA contract to design lightweight, compact UAV engine
2008: 500 hours of testing completed
2009: Second company test cell commissioned; Series B venture capital round led with new investor, Triangle Peak Partners
2010: Engine passes NATO 50-hour cyclic durability test; over 1,000 hours of testing completed; additional test stand added to company facility
2011: Over 2,500 hours of testing completed
2012: First firing of the company's A48 opposed-piston, double crank, spur gear train engine; company surpasses 3,600 hours of total test time; along with AVL Powertrain Engineering, Inc., Achates Power is selected by the U.S. Army to develop next-generation combat engine
2013: Achates Power selected for

Frost & Sullivan Frost & Sullivan is an American business consulting firm. It offers market research and analysis, growth strategy consulting, and corporate training. It has about 45 offices in the Americas, Africa, Asia and Europe; the principal office is in San ...

2013 North American New Product Innovation Award in the medium- and heavy-duty commercial vehicle engine market; company exceeds 4,500 hours of total test time; company named first runner-up in Securing America's Future Energy (SAFE) “Energy Security Prize”; Fairbanks Morse Engine signs joint development and licensing agreement with Achates Power
2014: Achates Power engine surpasses 5,000 hours of dynamometer testing; company releases results of light-duty diesel engine study comparing its engine to a next-generation diesel engine benchmark 2015: The company is awarded a $14 million military contract by the U.S. Army Tank Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Center to help in the development of the Army's "future fighting vehicle"

References

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External links

Achates Power Official Website

Prospects for Overhaul of Combustion Engine
Bloomberg TV. September 21, 2011.

New York Times. March 30, 2011.
25 Companies to Watch in Energy Tech
Bloomberg Businessweek. July 14, 2009.

CNN Money. May 11, 2011.
Cheap, High MPG Engines--But. . .
Automotive News. March 5, 2012.
An Engine That Uses One-Third Less Fuel. . .
MIT Technology Review. January 14, 2013.
Opposed Piston Engines Website
Engine manufacturers of the United States American companies established in 2004 Manufacturing companies established in 2004 Manufacturing companies based in California 2004 establishments in California