Charging the Achates Power ACE program for the world’s strongest military
Christopher (CJ) Kalebjian, Vice President of Performance and Development joined Achates Power in 2011 as a senior development engineer in the performance and emissions department. His contributions included analysis, controls development, calibration, and testing of the company’s opposed-piston, two-stroke engine. Some key areas of focus were on developing a strategy to achieve very low emissions levels and high exhaust temperatures for catalyst light-off; which fed into a base emissions calibration offering significant improvement in fuel economy for a light duty engine platform. Moving forward he became the Chief Engineer and Program Manager for Achates Power’s military business. The initial military project’s success led to the Advanced Combat Engine program, which is currently under development. To date this project’s success put the engine on the path to change the powertrain landscape for the military. Now as Vice President of Performance and Development, Kalebjian is responsible for the development and demonstration of all engine programs. Prior to Achates Power, Kalebjian spent more than five years as a diesel calibration engineer at General Motors where he oversaw performance, drivability and emissions for the current and future GM diesel pick-up platforms—including the Duramax engine used in U.S. light-duty trucks. Before that, he worked as a systems application engineer for Visteon Corporation, a leading global automotive supplier. Kalebjian began his career at Ford Motor Company as a product design engineer responsible for developing innovative throttle bodies for several different engines. He received a Bachelor of Science in mechanical engineering from Cornell University’s Sibley School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering.