Photo: Eco-Motive
A hybrid vehicle denotes a car capable to alternatively run on at least two fuel types. The most common hybrid powertrain today is gasoline-electric but before that we had (and still have in some places) cars running on gasoline and CNG (Compressed Natural Gas), a hybrid that looks to be reinvented... sort of.
Cars running on CNG and gasoline usually were using one single combustion engine which received either liquid or gas fuel. Still, Eco-Motive here believes their dual-fuel H motor is better, despite its complexity.
Their dual-fuel H engine can be powered by either gasoline or CNG, but instead of using the same engine to alternatively run on those two, their solution was to actually build two separate engines and link them to the same gearbox.
Each bank of cylinders is fed exclusively one of the two fuels and at a push of a button, the engine can switch from the bank of cylinders fueled by gasoline to the other one using CNG, of vice versa.
Two separate fuel tanks will be located on each side of the drive shaft under the car and the engine will keep sipping from one of them until the driver chooses the other one.
CNG usually burns hotter than gasoline and it will have an impact on valve seats and spark plugs. This also means it needs a different kind of lubricating oil and the piston rings have to be in perfect condition to make the most out of the gas.
All in all, a gasoline engine converted to burn gas is not the best solution to save money on the long run. That’s why Eco-Motive’s dual engine here is better, simply because the two have been specially developed to run on each type of fuel from the beginning.
"Receiving this patent is a huge step forward for my company," said Louis. "Now we can push our engine technology into a market that's hungry for smart, effective solutions. The infrastructure for CNG powered vehicles is established and will be prominent in the next couple of decades due to its low costs and high efficiency."
Sounds all right from here, but then don’t forget the complexity of the system will need you to spend more cash at first, which should pay out later.
Their dual-fuel H engine can be powered by either gasoline or CNG, but instead of using the same engine to alternatively run on those two, their solution was to actually build two separate engines and link them to the same gearbox.
What!?
Invented by Herns Louis, the H-motor is in fact made out of two separate 5-cylinder banks, each having its own crankshaft, case and lubrication system, while at the back you’ll discover a hell of a lot of cogs to link the two to the gearbox.Each bank of cylinders is fed exclusively one of the two fuels and at a push of a button, the engine can switch from the bank of cylinders fueled by gasoline to the other one using CNG, of vice versa.
Two separate fuel tanks will be located on each side of the drive shaft under the car and the engine will keep sipping from one of them until the driver chooses the other one.
Why would I need this instead of the old fashion way?
One engine running on both fuels might seem a good solution at first, but on the long run, that engine’s lifespan will be significantly reduced because of the two types of combustions going on inside.CNG usually burns hotter than gasoline and it will have an impact on valve seats and spark plugs. This also means it needs a different kind of lubricating oil and the piston rings have to be in perfect condition to make the most out of the gas.
All in all, a gasoline engine converted to burn gas is not the best solution to save money on the long run. That’s why Eco-Motive’s dual engine here is better, simply because the two have been specially developed to run on each type of fuel from the beginning.
"Receiving this patent is a huge step forward for my company," said Louis. "Now we can push our engine technology into a market that's hungry for smart, effective solutions. The infrastructure for CNG powered vehicles is established and will be prominent in the next couple of decades due to its low costs and high efficiency."
Sounds all right from here, but then don’t forget the complexity of the system will need you to spend more cash at first, which should pay out later.
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