News and Events
U.S. Department of Energy Awards Achates Power Grant to Develop Gasoline-powered OPGCI
In early November, Achates Power was awarded a $9 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E). With support from Argonne National Laboratory and Delphi, Achates has begun work to develop an opposed-piston, gasoline compression ignition (OPGCI) engine. The three-year project will yield a three-cylinder 3.0L engine suitable for applications in large passenger vehicles such as pickup trucks, SUVs and minivans.
The Achates OP Engine is designed to accommodate a variety of fuels and has demonstrated dramatically improved fuel efficiency and low emissions levels while running on diesel and compressed natural gas (CNG). The ARPA-E grant expands the Achates OP Engine’s fuel flexibility and readies the engine for the mass market.
The OPGCI engine will dramatically reduce fuel consumption and CO2 emissions in comparison to state-of-the-art gasoline-fueled, spark-ignited engines, while meeting current and future mandates for low criteria emissions. By combining two clean, efficient and cost effective technologies – OP and GCI – the resulting engine will be ready for high-volume adoption in light duty passenger vehicles in markets around the world.
Two New Members Join Achates’ Board of Directors
Energy Innovation
Achates Power has added two new members to its Board of Directors: Hal Harvey, CEO of Energy Innovation and Frank Macher, chairman and CEO of Continental Structural Plastics. These appointments add tremendous depth and experience in both the environmental and automotive industries.
Hal Harvey is CEO of Energy Innovation and a senior fellow for Energy and the Environment at the Paulson Institute. Previously, he was the founder and CEO of ClimateWorks Foundation, a network of foundations that promote policies to reduce the threat of climate change. Earlier, he served as environment program director at the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation. Harvey was also founder and president of the Energy Foundation, where he helped to establish the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT). Harvey has served on energy panels appointed by Presidents Bush (41) and Clinton, and has published two books and dozens of articles on energy and national security issues.
Frank Macher is chairman and CEO of Continental Structural Plastics. He has more than 45 years experience in the automotive and manufacturing industries.
Continental Structural Plastics
Achates warmly welcomes the highly experienced duo to the Achates Power team.
Achates Power and Cummins Team Up to Exhibit at the AUSA Annual Meeting
Achates Power and Cummins, who teamed up earlier this year to develop an advanced engine to power next generation U.S. Army tactical and combat vehicles, exhibited at the Association of the United States Army (AUSA) Annual Meeting in Washington D.C. to showcase their joint advances in engine technology and design.
In March, the team was awarded a $14 million military engine project by the National Advanced Mobility Consortium to support research and development work of the U.S. Army Tank
Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Center (TARDEC).
Together Achates Power and Cummins are developing an Advanced Combat Engine Technology Demonstrator, part of the Army’s 30-year strategy to modernize tactical and combat vehicles. The team’s technologies will be used to further refine the two-stroke, opposed-piston engine for lower heat rejection, greater fuel efficiency, increased power density and the ability to operate on various fuels.
The AUSA Annual Meeting was a highly visible event to connect directly with Army leadership and introduce the Achates/Cummins team and its collaborative project to the greater U.S. Army community.
EPA Hosts Achates Power at Vehicle Technology Showcase
Hot on the heels of Achates Power’s EPA testimony in Long Beach for stronger engine efficiency standards in September, Achates was invited by the agency to continue its promotion of clean engine technology at the National Vehicle and Fuel Emissions Laboratory (NVFEL) in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
Achates Power exhibited its advanced engine design at the Vehicle Technology Showcase at the NVFEL in early October. Achates was the only emerging technology company invited by the EPA to attend the event. Other attendees included Cummins, Daimler Trucks, Ford Motor Company and Honeywell Transportation Systems.
David Johnson Affirms Diesel Engine Viability
Achates Power
In mid-September, the automotive industry was shaken by allegations made against Volkswagen Group claiming the company used defeat devices in its diesel engines to circumvent emissions regulations and increase fuel efficiency. After Volkswagen admitted wrongdoing, the viability of diesel engine technology was brought into question by misinformed media and environmental activists.
Numerous media outlets reported that Volkswagen cheated because it had no affordable options to provide a clean diesel that was also fuel-efficient. Some even called the scandal the end of the diesel engine.
While possibly a setback to the public perception of diesel engines, Achates Power CEO David Johnson takes on the diesel naysayers in his latest blog entry. “The Reports of (Diesel’s) Death Have Been Greatly Exaggerated,” affirmsthat advanced diesel engine technology is still one of the best options for clean, affordable and widely adopted propulsion.
Achates Power to speak at the Society of Automotive Analysts Annual Outlook Conference
Detroit, Michigan, USA
January 10, 2016
Are you in Detroit for the North American International Auto Show? Come to the SAA Annual Outlook conference to hear David Johnson and other industry leaders discuss how they’re disrupting in the automotive industry. For more information, or to register, visit: SAA 2016 Automotive Outlook Conference