May 3, 2006 On March 7, we wrote of the coming of Scuderi Group's Air-Hybrid engine which claims the title of the world's most fuel efficient internal combustion engine. The Scuderi engine makes its European debut May 9 - 11 at the Engine Expo 2006 in Stuttgart, Germany on a bit of a roll. With three additional worldwide patents recently filed, the air-hybrid system potentially doubles the fuel efficiency of today's gasoline and diesel vehicles and reduces toxic emissions by up to 80 percent. The design is ingenious, has been verified by a world renowned independent laboratory, just landed a US$1.2 million DoD grant to develop the technology further, and it was clearly the talk of the Society of Automotive Engineers World Congress in Detroit where it was officially declared the most visited stand. The technology can be adapted for either diesel or gasoline engines of any size and is claimed to halve fuel consumption compared to today’s internal combustion engines. Autoblog has a succinct well-crafted peice and this animation will help you conceptualise this clever twist on the Otto cycle. There's also the official how it works and theory of operation.
The engine takes advantage of Scuderi's split-cycle by recapturing and storing energy in the form of compressed air. Unlike conventional engines, the Scuderi Engine produces compressed air during its normal operation. By adding a small air storage tank with some simple controls costing only a few hundred dollars, the Scuderi Engine can recapture energy normally lost.
Currently under development, the first diesel and gasoline prototypes are expected to be completed in 2007. It looks to be the real deal so everyone is watching closely.
Here’s a complete listing of recent announcements and magazine articles
