OPOC two-stroke powertrain could be a green MPG game-changer

I just watched a couple of short videos on the OPOC engine being developed at EcoMotors. Whoa. This could be the game changer in the holy grail of a truly clean, effecient (think 100 mpg) two-stroke, horizontally opposed powerplant for the next generation of fuel effecient automobiles. Yeah, you’re saying. You’ve heard this before.

Well, it seems that Bill Gates just put a big wad of cash into it, and the guys behind it are no slouches - Peter Hofbauer is the engineer behind the VW high speed diesel techology, and former GM guy, Don Runkle, was a key member of the EV1 team.

OPOC stands for Opposed-Piston Opposed-Cylinder Engine

EcoMotors is a portfolio company of Khosla Ventures and Bill Gates. Founded by Vinod Khosla, Khosla Ventures (Menlo Park, California) is a venture capital firm dedicated to “making a difference”, balancing the achievement of social benefits with material profit and building great companies.

The following article is from GreenCarReports.com:

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The engine to end all engines

The Wartsila-Sulzer RTA96-C turbocharged two-stroke diesel engine is the most powerful and most efficient prime-mover in the world today. The Aioi Works of Japan ‘s Diesel United, Ltd built the first engines and is where some of these pictures were taken. It is available in 6 through 14 cylinder versions, all are inline engines.

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