Navistar International has reached a development agreement with EcoMotors International in support of the company’s opoc (Opposed-Piston, Opposed-Cylinder) engine architecture.
EcoMotors’ patented “opoc” engine design creates an internal combustion engine family architecture that will operate on a number of different fuels, including gasoline, diesel, natural gas and ethanol. The opoc’s new opposed piston-opposed cylinder direct gas exchange operation provides the emissions benefits of 4-cycle engines, the simplicity benefits of 2-cycle engines, the power density of the opposed piston engine and the latest developments in electronics and combustion technology all tied together in a new and proprietary engine architecture, according to EcoMotors.
"We continue to be on the cutting edge of technology and our development agreement with EcoMotors once again demonstrates our commitment to develop new, innovative approaches to the commercial vehicle industry," said Dan Ustian, Navistar chairman, president and CEO. "Our company has a long history of pushing the envelope and we see great promise in EcoMotors’ breakthrough engine design."
The opoc engine comprises two opposing cylinders per module, with a crankshaft between them – each cylinder has two pistons moving in opposite directions. This design configuration eliminates the cylinder-head and valve-train components of conventional engines, offering an efficient, compact and simple core engine structure. The result is an engine family that is lighter, more efficient and economical, with lower exhaust emissions, according to EcoMotors.
"For customers such as Navistar, this remarkable engine technology represents a competitive advantage that enables not only enhanced environmental sustainability, but also greater profitability," added Don Runkle, CEO, EcoMotors International. "Our engineers are working to effectively rejuvenate the internal combustion engine for the 21st century."
EcoMotors’ opoc engine has a number of distinct advantages over traditional internal combustion engines, the company says. The opoc engine has very high power density of nearly one horsepower per pound resulting in an unprecedented lightweight and compact engine. The opoc engine is perfectly balanced enabling stackable power modules. This unique modular displacement capability is one of the long standing, but elusive goals of engine engineers’ quest for high efficiency. In addition, it also results in much less NVH than a conventional engine of comparable power.
