West Springfield, MA-based Scuderi Group will take its new air-hybrid diesel engine design on the road to the International Automobile Assn.’s Commercial Vehicle Show in Hanover, Germany, and other public venues to highlight its ability to control pollution without adding cost or extra systems to a diesel platform.
“Our design eliminates or dramatically reduces three of the most expensive and complex parts of a diesel system: turbocharging, injectors and exhaust treatment,” said Sal Scuderi, president of the Scuderi Group. “We estimate that this design can lower the cost to build diesel engines by as much as 40 to 50%.”
Perhaps the feature with the largest cost impact is the reduction or elimination of the exhaust treatment system. He said due to the engine’s unique method of firing after top dead center and a very fast moving power piston, nitrogen oxides (NOx) and soot (particulates or PM) are eliminated or drastically reduced.
“Emission reduction has been the greatest challenge for today's diesel engine manufacturers, with the sophistication and cost of the exhaust treatment systems growing rapidly,” Scuderi said. “The newer urea-based selective catalytic reduction (SCR) exhaust treatment systems can add from $11,000 to over $50,000 to the cost of large diesel engines. In addition, the extra weight and complexity increases the cost of maintenance and repairs.”
Also, due to the built-in supercharging capabilities of the Scuderi Engine design, the need for turbochargers is eliminated. That design change alone can save thousands of dollars per system, he added. Also, since the engine fires only on half of its cylinders, only half of the fuel injectors are required. The cost of high pressure injectors can amount to over 30% of the base engine cost, he said.
Scuderi noted the design elements of his company’s engine platform can be applied to both gasoline and diesel units. Prototypes of both models are expected to be ready for field testing next year. He said this new engine design offers several improvements, including:
- Improved fuel efficiency by almost one third vs. today’s gasoline and diesel models
- Emit 80% fewer emissions than today’s gas and diesel engines
- Provide significantly more power than a conventional engine
- Easier to manufacture as it uses the same components found in today’s engines
