A blast from the past is making a comeback
The opposed-piston engine invented over 100 years ago, had its glory days during World War II, powering submarines and aircraft carriers. Despite its impressive fuel efficiency, it didn’t catch on widely due to stricter emissions standards.
But now, thanks to modern tech and engineering, this old engine is making a comeback. Scientists are looking into its potential for a zero-carbon transportation system.
At the forefront of this effort are scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory, who are teaming up with Achates Power. Achates Power specializes in opposed-piston, two-stroke compression ignition engines, and together they’re working on developing a hydrogen-powered engine, mainly for long-haul commercial vehicles.
Innovation often means tweaking and improving old designs. Case in point: engineers recently modified a WWII aircraft engine to run on hydrogen. Pretty cool, right?
Originally designed over 70 years ago, this engine has been given a new lease on life with modern tech, turning it into a green machine for the future.