blog

The ICE Age continues

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 15:47:24 +0000

More developments have caught our eye recently that support what many of the internal combustion engine experts have been saying for some time: The ICE age is not only here to stay, but engines will continue to be the most sensible means of power generation.

The first is the cover story from the February 2012 issue of MTZ Worldwide. Prof. Dr.-Ing Ulrich Spicher, Director of the Institute for Reciprocating Engines at the Karlruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) (Germany), compares ICE powertrains to electric powertrains. He concludes that the ICE powertrain is superior to the electric powertrain for both energy efficiency and CO2 emissions. He also concludes that the further development of SI engines and diesel engines is still the best solution to reduce greenhouse emissions and costs.

This is where the Scuderi Engine fits right in. Not only does our split-cycle development show historic gains in fuel efficiency – and thus lower toxic emissions – but it provides a proven path around the traditional limitations that for years have prevented engineers from building even smaller, more powerful engines. It’s different now, and more power generation experts are admitting the ICE is here to stay.

Also in this news is this piece that illustrates how consumers have yet to fully embrace electric vehicles, whose acceptance continues to be hindered by technical limitations, safety concerns and cost. Many die-hard engine enthusiasts will tell you it’s no surprise and this is just the beginning of the end, for now, for much of the EV industry.

Lower Voltage

Wed, 11 Jan 2012 18:39:55 +0000

As news starts flooding out of the North American auto show this week in Detroit, one of the storylines gaining traction is the sudden shift in emphasis away from Hybrid- and Electro-mania. Here's one story from Bloomberg News that puts things into perspective.

A quote from the story to note:

"The challenge with selling hybrids is that gasoline engines have become more efficient and the cost of hybrids hasn’t come down fast enough to justify the added expense for many buyers," said David Champion, senior director of the Auto Test Center at the Yonkers, New York, magazine Consumer Reports.

Do we see a trend emerging?

Who knows. But as more facts and data are cultivated, the more realistic consumers and governments will be about smart mobility and the economics behind it.

Cadillac’s ATS sedan is one example of how carmakers at the Detroit auto show are putting new emphasis on small, powerful models with more fuel-efficient engines.

The engine is Tokyo's Big Sight

Thu, 01 Dec 2011 02:06:31 +0000

It was another promotional first this week for Scuderi Group as we landed in Japan to take part in the 42^ndTokyo Motor Show (TMS). This was the first time Japanese media and the nation’s engineering community got a chance to see and touch the cutaway prototype model of the running Scuderi Engine. (Not including, of course, those journalists and engineers who we’ve met at other events.)

Japanese media were very interested in the engine.

Like the city itself, the TMS is expansive and is housed in a massive complex containing several “halls” appropriately named the Tokyo Big Sight. At these types of events, car makers pour several millions of dollars into their stands that end up looking more like theatre productions than your typical trade show booth. The real estate here is impressive, to say the least.

Many of the car booths were multimedia productions.

While the event itself has shrunk in size in the last few years, reflecting the global economic downturn that hit the industry hard three years ago, Japan’s automotive market is extremely robust. This all started in the 1970s when domestic demand increased and Japanese companies became more aggressive in expanding sales in foreign markets. Passenger cars exports, for example, rose from 100,000 in 1965 to over 1.8 million in 1975. Production continued to increase over the following decade as more brands went global, gaining a major foothold in the US and world markets.

In 2000 Japan became the largest car-producing nation in the world, however, its market share has decreased slightly in recent years, mostly due to old and new competition from South Korea, China and India. Nevertheless, Japan’s car industry continued to flourish, with Toyota surpassing GM in 2008 to become the world’s largest car manufacturer.

Today, the industry is still amazingly strong, even with the impact of the March earthquake that

Unlike other auto shows, motorcycles were prominent

halted production and decimated supply lines. From our vantage point as we’ve visited OEM R&D centers here, it appears they’ve made great progress rebuilding and repairing but definitely don’t seem close to being back to how things were before March 11. (Power is still limited, resulting in less air conditioning and lighting.)

Producing power and burning fuel efficiently is very much on the minds of the Japanese, so the Scuderi Engine has become very relevant to the media and to the OEMs future plans. Being able to demonstrate significant decreases in fuel consumption and toxic emissions while producing more power has made our introductions at the event here very smooth.

“This engine is the most interesting technology at the show,” remarked one Australian reporter.

Normally lit up in multicolors, energy saving measures now have Tokyo's Rainbow Bridge washed in only white light.

Hello India!

Thu, 20 Oct 2011 06:34:38 +0000

We’re in Pune, India, this week where the cutaway model of the Scuderi Engine prototype made its Indian debut. It was featured in our exhibit at the Virtual Powertrain Conference, our first official event participation in this country.

A strong demand for dramatic reductions in the C02 and NOx emissions from

Stephen Scuderi explains the engine's inner workings.

vehicles have forced the engine manufacturing industry to develop new powertrain concepts and bring them to market. With that, development of new propulsion systems is a priority. And that's why the Scuderi Engine is looking so attractive to the Indian OEMs.

According to Wikipedia, the automotive industry in India is one of the largest in the world and one of the fastest growing globally. India's passenger car and commercial vehicle manufacturing industry is the seventh largest in the world, with an annual production of more than 3.7 million units in 2010. According to recent studies, India is set to overtake Brazil to become the sixth largest passenger vehicle producer in the world, growing 16-18 per cent to sell around three million units in the course of 2011-12. In 2009, India emerged as Asia's fourth largest exporter of passenger cars, behind Japan, South Korea, and Thailand.

Further, as of last year, India is home to 40 million passenger vehicles and more than 3.7 million automotive vehicles were produced in India in 2010 (an increase of 33.9%), making the country the second fastest growing automobile market in the world. According to the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers, annual car sales are projected to increase up to 5 million vehicles by 2015 and more than 9 million by 2020. By 2050, the country is expected to top the world in car volumes with approximately 611 million vehicles on the nation's roads.

Stephen delivers the conference keynote.

That sure is a lot of fuel consumption and pollution occurring every day. So the engine makers here believe the Scuderi Engine is one technology that could help them lower their fuel consumption considerably while at the same time significantly reducing their C02 and NOx emissions. And that has made our exhibit stand a very popular one.

The attendees of the conference also had a chance to hear Stephen Scuderi, the company’s vice president and patent attorney explain the evolution of the new combustion process from when it was just a concept drawn out on paper by his father years ago, to a working engine today. In his keynote address, Stephen was able to dive deep into the technologies used to bring the engine to life and explained how our engineers solved the various hurdles along the way.

In a future post when it becomes available, we will provide a link to the post-conference video where you can watch Stephen's presentation in its entirety.

Speaking at the Global Economic Symposium

Fri, 07 Oct 2011 14:48:52 +0000

Yesterday in Kiel, Germany, Scuderi Group participated in The World Economic Symposium. Organized by the Weltwirtschaftsinstitut (WWI), a leading macroeconomic think tank, the event addressed major macroeconomic themes, such as the current debt crisis, corporate governance, and the economic impact of climate change. Energy efficiency, as you can imagine, was also a main focus.

The Scuderi Engine has serious potential to make a short-term impact

Lutz Deyerling, far left, joins the panel at yesterday's Global Economic Symposum

on the rate of world fuel consumption, emission reductions, and the way energy is generated. As a result, our European division was invited by Prof. Dr. Snower to join a diverse panel of representatives from the oil and gas industry, renewable energies as well as leading European policymakers.

The outcome of the discussion, despite all the contrasting strategies on how to produce and use energy, everyone was in agreement that the goal is to reduce the carbon footprint and not to waste energy.

Lutz Deyerling, vice president of corporate strategy and European operations for Scuderi Group, told the panel that the Scuderi Engine with its increased thermal efficiency could add to the overall goal to decrease the world's fuel consumption.

He was sided by José S. Gabrielli de Azevedo, CEO of Petrobras, who said that growth economies like India, Brazil or China is based not on renewable energies but on burning oil because it is the the most energy-dense and cheapest way to produce energy. And as a result, burning less oil in an internal combustion engine would have a gigantic impact on the environment.

Telling the world

Wed, 14 Sep 2011 09:15:00 +0000

Scuderi Press Conference at 2011 IAA Show, Franfurt Germany

Yesterday marked the first day of the Frankfurt Car Show, considered one of the world’s largest automotive events. Primarily journalists and industry personnel attend the first four days before the show opens to the public on Saturday.

To take advantage of the venue, we capped off last week’s news announcement with a press conference and several media interviews where we provided further details and commentary on our groundbreaking efficiency.

In the study, conducted by Southwest Research Institute, a turbocharged/air-hybridized Scuderi Engine in a European eco-class car achieves at least 65 miles per gallon (or 3.7 liters per 100 km) while emitting significantly less CO₂. The average fuel economy for a (four-seat) gasoline vehicle in this class is about 52 mpg or 4.5 l/100km. The study also proved the Scuderi Engine emitted only 85 g/km of CO₂, compared to 104 g/km, which is the average amount emitted from a conventional engine in this particular vehicle class.

Scuderi Press Conference at 2011 IAA Show, Franfurt Germany

Leading the press conference was the company president, Sal Scuderi, and our vice president of European operations and corporate strategy Lutz Deyerling. After taking journalists briefly through the company and engine development history, the presentation dove right into the eco-car study and its results.

“This study was a conservative analysis so we know there is a lot more potential for gaining increased efficiency. We already see a 20 percent reduction in fuel consumption and we know we will get more improved efficiencies,” Lutz explained.

“The Scuderi Engine is not more expensive to make than a conventional engine. The OEMs can use their existing supply chain given that our engine combines about 98 percent of the parts already used in a conventional Otto or Diesel cycle engine,” he said.

Scuderi Booth at 2011 IAA Show, Frankfurt Germany

“We have technology here that is a great solution to reduce the global CO₂ footprint right now. Our technology is still developing further but has already reached a level of efficiency and CO₂ reduction that is better than any existing technology out there.

It's all in the numbers

Wed, 07 Sep 2011 15:31:07 +0000

Anyone who follows the world of alternative propulsion systems or new engines, can tell you that at the end of the day, many claims are made but very few are backed up by real data. So at Scuderi Group, it's a constant priority to dedicate ourselves to measuring and testing the Scuderi split-cycle technology as accurately and genuinely as possible. And that's what makes today a special day in the evolution of the Scuderi Engine.

After several weeks of testing, tweaking and more testing, we are finally able to announce that if you put a Scuderi Engine inside your average European economy car, the vehicle will likely use on average only 3.7 liters per 100 kilometers (or 65 mpg) of gasoline. These are cars like the Audi A1 to the Fiat 500, for example.

This counts for a 23 percent fuel savings over the conventional "Otto Cycle" engine used in those type cars. The average fuel economy for a gasoline vehicle in the European high economy class is about 52 mpg (or 4.5 l/100km). What's also significant is that the Scuderi Engine emitted only 85 g/km of CO₂, compared to 104 g/km that an average vehicle in this class will emit.

Conducting this computer simulation study was the independent laboratory Southwest Research Institute and their combustion engineering team. They conducted a survey of European high economy gasoline city cars from which the specifications of a representative “average” vehicle (mass, drag coefficient, power, top speed, acceleration, drivability) were derived. A Scuderi Engine was next sized together with appropriate gear and final drive ratios to match the required target vehicle performance (top speed, acceleration, drivability) while minimizing the fuel consumption over the European drive cycle (NEDC).

So, we have a lot of confidence in believing that the potential impact this can have on many things is - to put it simply - huge. Think about it: Imagine being able to cut fuel consumption by 23 percent. Or save 23 percent in fuel costs. Or 23 percent in the amount of CO2 you emit. Any one of those - let alone all three - would make a significant impact.

Yes, we know the translation from prototype simulation testing to a working vehicle isn't that straight forward and a lot of other elements come into play. But we also know that we are at the genesis of this new and exciting combustion technology that is only getting better.

It's all in the data.

Welcome Prof. Hitziger!

Tue, 30 Aug 2011 15:03:55 +0000

Scuderi Group today welcomed a new member to its advisory team, Professor Hubert Hitziger of Germany who is considered one of the leading engine experts in the world. The official news announcement was released today in the United States and Europe. He will work with Scuderi Group on a consulting basis to help the engineering team continue to develop the Scuderi Engine and maximize its efficiency levels.

Professor Hitziger two weeks ago visited Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio, TX, and spent over two days reviewing the running engine, dissecting the engine map and grilling the engineering team on the facts and figures surrounding this brand new combustion process.

Prof. Hitziger watches the running Scuderi Engine with European VP Lutz Deyerling

The addition of the professor to Scuderi's global development team brings yet another element of expertise to the project. He has been an honorary professor at the Technical University of Kaiserslautern, Germany, for many years where he lectures on modern internal combustion engine design. Since 1998 he has been a very high regarded combustion engine expert, officially appointment as such to the German Chamber of Commerce. In the past he has also held management positions at MAN, Deutz-MWM and is currently a consultant to many international engine developers and OEMs.

Since he is very well recognized in Germany and called upon often by the media to provide his expertise and opinion, news about the professor was spreading.

Said Professor Hitziger in today's press release: "The split-cycle principle offers unique benefits unavailable in other propulsion options. It is a great pleasure for me to work on this highly interesting thermodynamic concept and help Scuderi Group with their effort to successfully bring this technology to market."

New Japanese fuel economy?

Wed, 24 Aug 2011 14:25:23 +0000

In case you missed it over the weekend, Japan is looking to join the regulatory ranks of the U.S. and Europe in adopting fuel efficiency standards that would establish fuel economy goals for automotive fleets.

The draft guidelines propose a 24 percent improvement in average mileage of passenger cars in Japan to 20.3 km/liter (47 mpg) in 2020, against 16.3 km/liter (38 mpg) measured in 2009. The new guidelines could be adopted as early as next spring.

One twist on the proposed regs: OEMS are given a little wiggle room elsewhere. According to Reuters, by adopting a “Corporate Average Fuel Economy” methodology, automakers would be awarded for mounting fuel-saving technology like hybrid systems on a large volume of cars, and not be penalized for failing to meet standards in other categories.

Talking business

Tue, 16 Aug 2011 20:02:38 +0000

This week Scuderi Group hosted about 20 international business school professors at the engine’s research and development facility, Southwest Research Institute, in San Antonio, TX. The professors are in town participating in the Academy of Management convention, the largest annual gathering of management scholars in the world. Attended by more than 10,000 people, the meeting provides a forum for sharing research and expertise in all management disciplines. So with the developments and interest around the Scuderi Engine increasing, the academic community is taking notice.

Universities from the Middle East, Europe, Asia and around the U.S. and

Outside the test cell visitors got to see live data coming from the running engine.

Canada were represented during the visit. The group watched a brief explanation of the technology by SwRI engineers, and then was given a chance to watch the engine running up close in the test cell.

The lab tour organized by the AOM reflects the growing attention we are getting not only for the technological success, but also for the way the entire project has come together. Since every attendee was a PhD, the attention pretty much stayed on business issues such as market barriers, resources, trends, etc. As a result, more academic institutions are studying the company and have several case studies and papers in the works.

Earlier today, Stephen Scuderi spoke at the AOM convention and addressed a roomful of attendees that came to hear the session “Davids and Goliaths in the Automotive Industry.” A fitting theme given the size of the engine market and the players involved.

SwRI engineers gave an overview of the project to 20 international professors.

In his address, Stephen combined the Scuderi business story with the relevance the technology has in today’s transportation and energy world. In his presentation he briefly discussed the mission of the company, the history and a brief technical explanation about how the engine works and the some of the recent fuel-saving data.

Along with many of the important business development elements Scuderi Group has combined to continually keep pushing the engine development and keep the operation going, Stephen recalled one conversation he had with his father, Carmelo, soon after he invented the engine.

“My father showed me the design and I said ‘Dad, there are two things we are going to have to answer before this becomes successful: One, is it protected? Which was easily accomplished with the patents we have filed, And two, does it work?’

The highlight of the tour was seeing the engine up close and watching it run.

“For that reason we needed independent verification of our technology and a world-class development team to put this together. And we found that in Southwest Research.”

As Stephen pointed out, you can have all the resources and market potential in the world, but if you don’t have a genuine technical foundation, it will never work. “And we’ve got that in Southwest,” he said. “And the engine works really well!”

Speaking of fuel efficiency...

Wed, 10 Aug 2011 15:42:46 +0000

Scuderi Engine followers and regulatory junkies should check out a new video that reports from the recent RIVE event in France and includes an interview with Stephen Scuderi our vice president and patent attorney. He had addressed a delegation of European Union and French transportation and environment officials who had gathered early last month to discuss all things Green Car.

Stephen provides a summary of the Scuderi Engine benefits.

The report is a brief synopsis of the event, which took place along side a race track nestled in the hills of southern France. The interview with Stephen focuses more on the Scuderi Engine and its ability to enable engine manufacturers to meet future regulatory standards today.

Prior to this video being shot, Stephen presented his perspective on future mobility: Electric vehicles are limited and not cost-effective and the quickest way to reduce CO2 is to improve the internal combustion engine and burn our fossil fuels more efficiently. (You can hear his entire presentation in this audio podcast.)

Stephen also pointed out that in the European Union, greenhouse gas emissions from non-transport sectors decreased 15 percent between 1990 and 2007, but emissions from transport increased by 36 percent in the same period. And with significant market barriers in the non-fossil fuel vehicle sector – power density, environmental impact, safety hazards, etc. – improving the internal combustion engine makes the most sense right now to improve our environment on a global scale.

A "social" adjustment

Fri, 05 Aug 2011 15:03:01 +0000

You may notice some changes soon having to do with our home page and overall presence online. Beyond some updates to the information on our web site that more accurately explains the latest developments of the Scuderi Engine, we will also be changing the way we participate online.

If you are a user of social media and frequent our Scuderi Powered group, you’ll soon notice that we are transitioning our activity elsewhere and will no longer post news and information to that group site. As advancements in the engine technology are made, our list of followers and friends continues to increase as interest grows with every new technical discovery. More appropriate Scuderi locations on Facebook and Twitter will emerge as things progress. But in the meantime, this web site will continue to be the hub of outbound Scuderi news and thought.

Public enthusiasm has always been one of the most exciting – and sometimes unexpected – elements of the Scuderi Engine development, for which the company has great appreciation. Thank you so much for your ongoing interest.

As we move forward, visit our website or this blog for more updates and news.

A numbers game

Mon, 01 Aug 2011 14:11:13 +0000

Doing what we do and being immersed in fuel efficiency every day, it was hard to ignore the news last week about new CAFE standards targeted for 2025. Fuel economy is an ongoing – and often lively — discussion at Scuderi Group, where we often hash out the political rhetoric while pointing out the realities of Mother Nature.

One point that was brought up over the weekend was how the reports say the government will give special weighting or credit (in calculating the fleet average mpg) for cars using electric hybrid or fuel cell technology to achieve the new standard of 54 mpg.

Auto executives Doug Speck, Alan R. Mulally, Daniel F. Akerson and Sergio Marchionne along with Ray LaHood, the transportation secretary, in Washington last week at the mileage standards announcement.

One might say this is short sighted of course because it tends to bias manufacturers away from pursuing other alternatives (such as the Scuderi Engine) that are not yet in mass production.

But the government also estimates a cost increase of about $2,500 per vehicle in 2025 over what the cost would have been without new fuel saving technology. If anything, this seems too low and, for electric hybrids, pure electrics, and "Leaf" type systems, does not take into account complex and expensive control systems, the need and cost to replace batteries over time, the cost to implement environmentally acceptable battery disposal etc. And we know about the practical problems with hydrogen systems with and without fuel cells, which go beyond cost.

Even assuming that the fuel efficiency and other performance characteristics of the Scuderi Engine will be only comparable to electric hybrids, pure electrics, "Leaf" type systems etc., the Scuderi Engine will retain an advantage based on initial and ongoing cost (no batteries to replace etc.). It will probably be cost competitive with conventional power plants (perhaps cheaper), but will certainly cost much less than the technologies that are currently assumed to be the likely solutions in 2025.

So, in spite of the built-in bias for electric hybrids and the like, the new CAFE standards will ultimately provide a big boost for Scuderi Engine Technology in the marketplace. Further, it is becoming more apparent how the Scuderi technology can help OEMs meet the future standards almost immediately.

Already we are seeing giant improvements in gas mileage (or liters per 100 km) with the Scuderi Engine prototype. We believe the next round of independent lab data that we hope to release in the next couple months will bring the Scuderi Engine closer to becoming the solution that makes the most sense.

Vive le ICE

Fri, 08 Jul 2011 12:17:07 +0000

Scuderi Group participated this week in the International Meeting on Green Cars (RIVE 2011), billed as the “largest green motoring event of its kind in the world.” Held in the South of France in Alès at the Pôle Mécanique in the Cévennes National Park, it brought together primarily French environmental and transportation ministers as well as several companies and automakers promoting their alternative mobility technologies.

Many new vehicle innovations that were featured included Renault’s ZE range, Opel’s Ampera (GM’s Euro version of the Volt), the MIA Electric and Alfa Romeo’s Mito GPL along with a slew of scooters and motorcycles. Situated alongside a racetrack, the event also gave attendees opportunities to test drive the vehicles. Honda, Peugeot and BMW were also on hand with their latest electric innovations.

Stephen Scuderi addressed the conference as one of the panelists discussing

Stephen Scuderi addresses the delegation

“Outlook, The Future of Green Cars.” Joined by representatives from Garmin, Exagon Motors, and the French National Assembly, Stephen presented the sobering reality of future mobility: Electric vehicles are limited and not cost-effective and the quickest way to reduce CO2 is to improve the internal combustion engine and burn our fossil fuels more efficiently. (You can hear his entire presentation in the audio podcast.)

What made the Scuderi Engine most relevant to the discussion – and to the audience of environmental officials – was the fact that in

Scuderi European VP Lutz Deyerling briefs a group of French officials at this week's RIVE 2011

the EU, passenger vehicles must reduce emission levels to 130 grams of fuel per km GHG by next year. Vehicles will be required to lower emissions even further in the next decade to 95g/km.

And while the governments and auto industry become anxious about the inability to achieve those numbers, (and seemingly in denial), it’s the Scuderi Engine that gives governments and automakers worldwide the immediate solution for reaching those goals.

As one interested attendee mentioned to us at the stand: “The Scuderi Engine is a no-brainer.”

It can be done

Tue, 28 Jun 2011 15:22:37 +0000

News is out now on a proposal by the Obama administration to further increase the minimum fuel mileage requirements to 56.2 by 2025. Although this figure is more than likely a starting point for future negotiations between the parties it does highlight the continued pressure on the automotive industry to improve the overall fleet mileage figures.

It’s an issue that’s not going away.

Frank Sherosky of Torque News responds to this news in his latest article. As the story states, this seemingly high figure is not outside the range of possibilities when you consider new internal combustion engine technology like the Scuderi Split-Cycle Engine.

Getting technical

Fri, 03 Jun 2011 14:56:43 +0000

For those of you following the development of the Scuderi Engine and looking for more information to sink your technical teeth into, these links are for you.

In the last month, a more technical side of the Scuderi Engine has emerged in presentations, technical papers and reports being broadcast and published by various engineering and industry organizations. From the basic engine architecture to our latest simulation study in a Nissan Sentra, these pieces provide a more detailed look at how the engine does what it does and how it could impact the current internal combustion engine landscape.

Our technical reports are only going to get deeper and more revealing as we continue to study and learn more about this brand new Scuderi Split-Cycle combustion process. Keep an eye out here and on the homepage for future reports that review the Scuderi Engine. In the meantime, here are a few of the most recent:

Southwest Research Institute’s Technical Papers on the Scuderi Engine

Presented and broadcast by the Society of Automotive Engineers, these two presentations were given by two SwRI engineers in April at the annual World Congress Event. One paper covers the general architecture of the Scuderi Engine, the other discusses the fast-acting valve train. While these on-demand presentations are free, copies of these technical papers are only available via purchase through the SAE.

JD Power 2011 Q1 Powertrain Report Commentary

This is the summary of JD Power’s latest report covering not only the Scuderi solution, but the massive internal combustion engine market at stake. This is a great read if you’re looking for a snapshot of the ICE market and the emission regulations in play. The commentary copy is free but the full report is only available via JD Power and Associates.

Automotive World

This isn’t technically an analyst report, but the article presents the Scuderi story in a very structured way. This came out in the past couple weeks and provides a solid overview of Scuderi Group, its compelling engine technology and where it all fits in the business landscape.

Have a technical question? Send it along to ScuderiUSA@ScuderiGroup.com and we'll answer them as best we can.

Just like old times

Thu, 19 May 2011 02:26:54 +0000

As a company that participates in the global circuit of engineering events, we can tell you many of these industry venues become more familiar over time. So when we opened up this week at Engine Expo in Stuttgart, it was like we never left.

Stepen Scuderi addresses the crowd at the Engine Expo Open Technology Forum

Right away, it was all about the latest news. Many of the first visitors immediately brought up the Nissan study and were eager to dive into the details and get a first-hand explanation of how we got those groundbreaking results. This event draws multi-regional attendees so the Scuderi team was in full force engaging Europe and India’s engineering elite. Today we met many from France, Germany, Italy, and Sweden, among others.

Later in the day, Stephen Scuderi gave a presentation not only on the results of the study, but how the latest turbocharging developments have pushed the capabilities of the Scuderi Engine farther than we ever imagined.

In his speech, Stephen explained what is commonly known as the Miller Cycle and showed the audience how the Miller-like valve control strategies enable us to shrink the Scuderi engine. As the title of his presentation stated: Miller and Scuderi is a perfect match.

Engine Expo celebrates its 13th anniversary with leading companies from around the world exhibiting the latest engine components,

The engine prototype model is always the star of the show.

materials and manufacturing technologies, along with Open Technology Forum that Stephen addressed today. The highlight of the event is the world-renowned International Engine of the Year Awards. Held on Day Two, it draws the top powertrain and engine development executives from the world’s most innovative car companies.

Powering down

Wed, 18 May 2011 05:37:04 +0000

The Japan Society of Automotive Engineers annual conference opened today in Yokohama. It is the first time Scuderi Group has exhibited independently here in Japan.

This event dwarfs its US equivalent, the SAE World Congress, and is jam packed with not only the Japanese powertrain elite, but much of the rank and file engineers from the over 50 engine manufacturers in the country as well as its engineering universities. The organizers say there are over 4,000 engineers attending. The entire exhibit hall is filled – on two floors - with companies promoting their automotive wares.

A row of exhibitors at this year's JSAE conference.

It begs the question from those that have watched the shrinking of the World Congress: Is the same thing about to happen to the industry here?

Given the recent natural disasters and resulting affects on the country’s power generation base, energy consumption and conservation are hot topics. Tokyo, for example, has 20 percent less power feeding the city than it had before the March earthquakes and tsunami. Everywhere you go now, there is some power-saving tactic in place. Escalators are stopped, decorative lights are shut off, and air conditioning is set at a minimum, if at all. Wind turbines are also popping up in greater numbers.

The automotive industry has big issues to deal with. The supply chain is decimated, and their assembly lines are still heavily damaged. Running at capacity is not something that’s going to happen any time soon.

To complicate matters worse, the Japanese government is now telling the automotive industry they still have to produce the same amount of vehicles, but must do it using 20 percent less power. Some OEMs say that’s impossible without putting their businesses on the brink of collapse.

So while nuclear generation and alternative energies are debated, so too is the move to make the internal combustion engine more efficient. The engineers here don’t seem as brainwashed on the electrification of the automobile as their US and European counterparts. So the focus on the Scuderi Engine is growing.

In general, they understand that improving the ICE is one of the quickest ways to conserve power and reduce toxic emissions on a worldwide basis. There seems to be more open optimism that better solutions can be found other than powering something by batteries, burning coal or nuclear generation.

Visitors check out the Scuderi booth.

A Scuderi in a Sentra

Thu, 12 May 2011 14:08:06 +0000

Yesterday marked another milestone for Scuderi Group as we got closer to answering the most common question we get about the engine: What will it get me in gas mileage?

Anyone that knows engines can tell you that there are a lot of variables that go into that equation. Weight, vehicle design, and engine efficiency are just a few. So in an independent lab study, the Sentra model was simulated through a standardized Federal Test Procedure-75 (FTP-75) drive cycle for each Scuderi engine design.

Preliminary results of the study showed that up to a 25 percent decrease in fuel consumption (i.e., up to 33 percent increase in MPG) was achievable with a Scuderi engine replacing the Sentra’s engine when factoring in fuel cutoff during deceleration and idle in the model. Results also showed that up to 35 percent decrease in fuel consumption (i.e., up to 54 percent increase in MPG) was achievable when compared to the model Nissan Sentra using a stock engine without fuel cutoff.

A 2011 Nissan Sentra

Yes, we are fully aware that if you incorporated a real Scuderi Split-Cycle Engine into a real Sentra, the exact miles per gallon would likely be different – either lower or higher given some of the factors mentioned above. But automotive engineers know that simulation testing is done first. And the data that we are starting to see is significant because ultimately it reflects a major decrease in the amount of fuel you need to get where you need to go.

In the official announcement, Sal Scuderi stated: “These results continue to verify the real-life applicability of our engine design. At every step in the development and testing of our engine, we continue to see additional fuel efficiency gains. Our split-cycle configuration is creating the basis for implementing additional propulsion advances that move beyond conventional engine design.”

As we’ve said before, we are at the genesis of an exciting and new thermodynamic process that has great potential to create unprecedented opportunities for our world to manage how we consume our energy. This study is only the beginning of where this new technology can take us.

Fuel consumption at sea

Mon, 09 May 2011 14:33:29 +0000

As we continue to develop the Scuderi Engine, it is typically looked at as primarily an automotive engine. True, our development path has been very vehicle-centric. (The company chose this development strategy early on, mostly because the automobile is one of the most complex and difficult environments to create consistent combustion.)

The Wärtsilä-Sulzer RTA96-C, the world's largest engine that powers the Emma Maersk, a 1,300-foot- container ship.

However, that hasn't stopped other industry sectors from noticing our revolutionary thermodynamic process and the benefits it brings. The marine sector is one such industry.

The global shipping industry is struggling to find ways to address three major needs – lowering fuel consumption, reducing N0x, and reducing soot. Like everywhere else, the big one is fuel consumption. Ask any day sailor on a recreational boat and they’ll grumble about the cost of filling the tank just to get the family out on the water for a few hours.

But then take a typical Northeast U.S. whale watch boat. The captain will tell you they burn about 80 gallons of fuel an hour. So in a 10-hour day of going roughly 22 miles per hour (at ¾ speed), they’re going to burn over 800 gallons of fuel. If they go full speed (about 30+ miles per hour), even more fuel is consumed.

Scale that up to the big ships, and you get more of a head-spinning situation. The largest diesel engine in the world, the Wärtsilä-Sulzer RTA96-C, burns about 16 tons of fuel per hour. Yes, that’s tons per hour…

So the need for a better solution is obvious. And that’s where the Scuderi Engine comes in. The Scuderi design can be adapted for various internal combustion engine applications, including marine craft. The revolutionary “Firing After Top Dead Center” and the unique cylinder configuration results in an extremely robust and efficient combustion process. Further, because the engine burns fuel at lower peak temperatures than a conventional engine, it doesn’t create the NOx that regulators and OEMs are working so hard to reduce. So we’re looking at potentially lowering emissions by up to 80 percent while reducing the rate of fuel consumption to historic levels.

And that’s something anyone behind the wheel – no matter what you’re driving – can look forward to.