A five-million-kilometer, 100-vehicle fleet trial, of an air-assist, direct- fuel-injected automotive 2-stroke engine

摘要

Once the focus of intense engineering scrutiny in the early 1990s, the major automotive companies suspended activity on 2-stroke engines because of perceived concerns over mechanical and emissions durability, and uncertain customer market acceptance. A 100-vehicle fleet, powered by the Orbital Combustion Process (OCP) air- assist, direct-fuel-injected, 2-stroke automotive engine was launched into the Australian market to answer these questions. Homologated to Australian Design Rule (ADR) standards, the 2-stroke-equipped vehicle fleet was distributed Australia-wide and exposed to a diverse range of driving styles and environmental conditions. Over three years, the Genesis ECOsport vehicles accumulated collectively in excess of 5.5 million kilometers with individual vehicles exceeding 160,000 km (or 100,000 miles). A brief overview will be given into the engine design, development and validation programs as well as vehicle build, validation, fleet management and data collection. The performance of the fleet with respect to fuel and oil consumption, mechanical and emissions durability and consumer reaction will be presented including some of the more interesting and unexpected experiences unique to a 2-stroke automotive application. It will be shown that a 2-stroke engine, equipped with OCP air-assist direct fuel injection can be both viable and market acceptable for automotive applications while retaining the inherent 2-stroke engine advantages of small size, reduced weight and lower manufacturing cost.