News

2012
January 24, 2012 IndustryWeek	Viewpoint: To Tackle the World's Energy Problems, We Need to Make All Engine Technologies More Efficient There is no one solution to address the issues facing the transportation industry. Electric vehicles are a viable solution for some consumers and industries, but they will not be a panacea. Significant improvements across a range of transportation technologies are necessary in light of dwindling petroleum reserves and global warming concerns. The industry debate is currently centered on whether hybrid and electric vehicles are the wave of the future. But only focusing the discussion on one or few solutions is missing the opportunity, the bigger picture—and the point.
January 23, 2012 Heavy Duty Trucking	Engines Tomorrow: What Types of Engines Will You Be Selling Parts for in the Future? The next step in engine emissions is targeting greenhouse gas emissions in heavy trucks. . .In the past few years, two new companies have been designing modern truck- and auto-sized engines using the OP layout. Achates Power in San Diego says its OP engine, now in dyno testing, has achieved fuel efficiency that's 21% better than a benchmark V-8, the latest 6.7-liter PowerStroke from Ford (not its Navistar-built predecessor), and meets 2010 emissions limits.
January 9, 2012 Heavy Duty Trucking	How Much Will the Engine of the Future Resemble Today's Powerplants? The engine of the future is probably similar to the one in your current truck. It's an internal combustion engine with pistons, valves, crankshaft and other familiar parts, an inline 4 or 6, or a V-6 or V-8. . .In the last few years, two new companies have been designing modern truck- and auto-sized engines using the OP layout, and with great promise. Achates Power in San Diego says its OP engine, now in dyno testing, has achieved fuel efficiency that's 21% better than a benchmark V-8, the latest 6.7-liter PowerStroke from Ford (not its Navistar-built predecessor), and meets 2010 emissions limits.
January 4, 2012 Bloomberg	10Q: Achates Power Reinvents the Engine Imagine the commercial delivery truck of the future—powered by a silent electric engine and emitting fresher air than it takes in. Now keep imagining, because for the next few decades, the reality is that roads will more likely be dominated by the same internal-combustion vehicles our grandparents drove. In the meantime, Achates Power has revisited a century-old concept of how to remake the internal combustion automobile engine so it's cheaper, has fewer emissions and uses less fuel.
2011
December 19, 2011 San Diego Business Journal	Stroke of Genius? Achates Power Inc. has developed a new kind of diesel engine that's lighter weight and more fuel efficient than conventional diesel engines used in cars and trucks today—and because it has fewer parts, the engine is as much as 15 percent cheaper to produce, said the company's co-founder and chief scientist, James Lemke.
December 6, 2011 Sea Change Radio	Busting Convention with the Combustion Engine Do you ever try to envision a world where all the cars are electric – quiet, clean and carbon-neutral? Sounds great, but the truth is that the shift to a fossil-free fleet of vehicles on this planet is likely to be a slow cumbersome process that unfolds over several decades. In the meantime, however, there are some bright, inventive minds trying to ease the pain associated with the dirty, carbon-intensive status quo.
December 2011 Automotive Products Finder	An Engine Renaissance Read PDF Version Achates Power, a U.S.-based company engaged in the development of auto engines, is now ready with a new opposed-piston, two-stroke engine which, the company's president in this interview with Huned Contractor, claims will significantly reduce the costs through better fuel economy.
November 5, 2011 Green Big Truck	Achates Power Shows 20% Improvement Achates Power has been developing an OPOC-type engine using an opposed-piston, compressed-ignition two-stroke system. The company has tested their improved design 3-cylinder engine configuration and received a 20% improvement in cycle-averaged brake-specific fuel consumption (BSFC) when compared to current advanced medium-duty four-stroke diesel engines.
November 2, 2011 Automotive World	U.S.: Achates Power Reports New Efficiency Test Results Achates Power, the developer of an opposed-piston engine design, has produced efficiency test results that it says demonstrate a 20% improvement in fuel efficiency compared to a recently introduced...
November 2, 2011 Green Car Congress	Latest Test Results for Achates Power Two-Stroke Opposed-Piston Engine Show 20% Improvement Over Four-Stroke Diesel; BTE of 45.1% at Best Operating Point Achates Power, the developer of a two-stroke, compression-ignition (CI) opposed-piston (OP) engine announced that the latest test results for a 3-cylinder Achates engine configuration indicate a 20% improvement in cycle-averaged brake-specific fuel consumption (BSFC) when compared to a recently introduced advanced medium-duty four-stroke diesel engine: 192.6 g/kWh BSFC for the Achates engine, versus 239.9 g/kWh for the reference engine.
November 1, 2011 Torque News	Achates Power Opposed-Piston Engine More Fuel Efficient than Four-Stroke Diesels According to the news release dated Nov. 1, 2011, Achates Power, a developer of radically improved internal combustion engines that increase fuel efficiency and reduce greenhouse gas emissions at lower cost, today announced its highest engine efficiency test results.
November 1, 2011 Xconomy	Achates Power Cites "Huge" Improvement in Diesel Fuel Savings, Emissions San Diego's Achates Power, a startup developing a radical new design for a diesel-powered truck engine, is blowing its own air horn today about its progress in demonstrating significant improvements in the efficiency and performance of its engine. Through a series of tests that began just over a year ago, Achates says its prototype has shown improved fuel efficiency, while also meeting the new EPA 10 emission standards for heavy trucks, which seek a seven to 20 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2018.
November 1-15, 2011 Auto Monitor	Achates to Make Inroads in CV Segment Read PDF Version Achates Power, the U.S.-based engine manufacturer, which has refined the opposed-piston engine technology, is looking to penetrate the commercial vehicle segment as the segment provides a much better showcase for the effectiveness of the company's value proposition as compared to the passenger vehicle segment.
October 2011 Auto Business Review	Counter Traditional Wisdom Read PDF Version
October 31, 2011 DieselNet Newsletter	Conference Report: ASME 2011 ICE Fall Technical Conference This year's ASME Internal Combustion Engine Division Fall Technical Conference was held on October 2-5, 2011 at the Waterfront Place Hotel in Morgantown, West Virginia. . .Achates Power and Da Vinci Emissions Services reported on oil consumption measurements on Achates Power's opposed-piston two-stroke diesel engine. A weighted average fuel-specific lubricant oil consumption of 0.18% was achieved (ICEF2011-60140).
October 13, 2011 Green Big Truck	Achates Opposed-Piston Engine 53% Efficient, Study Says Achates Power, which is developing a two-stroke, compression-ignition, opposed-piston engine (find out more about OP engines here) has presented performance and emissions results of their engine when used in a medium-duty application.
October 12, 2011 The Daily Energy Report	Global Cleantech Cluster Assoc. Announces 2011 Later Stage Award Finalists The Global Cleantech Cluster Association has announced its Global Top 30 for the 2011 Later Stage Award. The finalists will be judged by 28 cleantech venture capitalists, investors and serial entrepreneurs who collectively manage $3.5 billion in clean technology investment.
October 7, 2011 Automotive World	U.S.: Achates Power Wins GoingGreen Automotive Award The Silicon Valley AlwaysOn website's 2011 GoingGreen Global 200 Top Private Companies include Achates Power as the winner among its Global Green Automobiles and Transportation category contenders...
October 6, 2011 Green Car Congress	Study Finds Achates Two-Stroke Opposed-Piston Engine Shows Indicated Thermal Efficiency of 53% Achates Power, the developer a two-stroke, compression-ignition (CI) opposed-piston (OP) engine (earlier post), is presenting performance and emissions results of the Achates engine used in a medium-duty application, as well as the results of a detailed thermodynamic analysis comparing the closed-cycle thermal efficiencies of three engine configurations: a baseline 6-cylinder, 4-stroke engine; a hypothetical 3-cylinder opposed-piston 4-stroke engine; and a three-cylinder opposed-piston two-stroke engine (the Achates engine).
October 6, 2011 Greentech Media	Diesel Engine Renaissance ...Some startups are also getting into diesel by looking at ways to make the engines even more efficient. Achates Power says its two-stroke opposed piston diesel engine can increase fuel efficiency by another 10 percent to 15 percent.
October 5, 2011 Green Car Congress	EPA Official: The Future of the Internal Combustion Engine is Bright and Clear "The future of the IC engine is bright and clear; I don't think that could be any more obvious to all of us," said Byron Bunker, Director, Heavy Duty Engine Center, Office of Transportation and Air Quality, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency during his remarks in a panel discussion on the role for internal combustion engines in the energy future at the U.S. Department of Energy's 2011 Directions in Engine-Efficiency and Emissions Research Conference (DEER) in Detroit.
September 2011 ZigWheels	Achates Power: Diesel Engine Tech Grows Small and Smart Read PDF Version Two-stroke diesel engines have been worked on for a while, but they never quite featured on production cars, until now that is. American engine developer Achates Power have been working on the technology for many years and today are very close to having a light, efficient, economical, and powerful two-stroke diesel engine suitable for cars and light commercial vehicles.
September 30, 2011 AlwaysOn	Announcing the 2011 GoingGreen Global 200 Top Private Companies AlwaysOn is proud to announce this year's GoingGreen Global 200—the top emerging companies that are transforming big industry and creating viable business models for the green technology.
September 21, 2011 Bloomberg TV	Prospects for Overhaul of Combustion Engine ...Today we check out the engines that will power the cars of the future. . .A third start-up, San Diego-based Achates Power is working on its own version of an opposed-piston engine.
September 6, 2011 The Auto Channel	Achates Power to Present Fuel Efficiency Results of Its Two-Stroke Opposed-Piston Engine at SAE 2011 Commercial Vehicle Engineering Congress Achates Power, developer of radically improved internal combustion engines that enhance fuel economy, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and are lower cost, will discuss engine fuel efficiency challenges and improvements at the SAE 2011 Commercial Vehicle Engineering Congress (ComVEC) Sept. 13-14 at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, Ill.
September 5, 2011 SiliconIndia News	Most Promising Start-up Opportunities According to Business Week, the companies to look for are Achates Power (which is testing a clean-burning diesel engine), AltoRock Energy (which has bored wells as deep as four miles to tap geothermal energy), and BioFuelBox (which converts oil-laden sludge from sewage systems, industrial plants, and animal processing factories into clear, odorless diesel fuels).
September 4, 2011 Torque News	Split-Cycle Engine Technology to Challenge EVs and Hybrids Contrary to modern belief and all the canned reports by many automotive media types that electrification is the only way to maximize automobile efficiency, the demise of the internal combustion engine is extremely exaggerated, especially as split-cycle engine technology comes of age and challenges the high costs of EVs and hybrid cars. . . In the meantime, major technical advances are coming from outsiders, like Scuderi Group, Tour Engine, even Achates Power and Cyclone Power.
August 26, 2011 Fast Company	Putting Old Tech In The Internal Combustion Engine Nets One-Third More Mileage Other companies are pushing the limits of what internal combustion engines can do with a gallon of fuel, too. . .Achates Power, a San Diego engine start-up, have deployed similar opposed piston technology to create more efficient internal engines (diesel, in their case) to compete with hybrids and electrics on the road.
August 24, 2011 Torque News	Pike Research Forecasts $1.5 Million EV Charging Locations in U.S.A. by 2017 The latest report from Pike Research examines the growing global market for electric vehicle charging equipment and provides market analysis and forecasts for residential, workplace, public, and private charge points in the United States by 2017. . . If there is any technology that will combat electrification, I fully believe it will be the air-hybrid derivation that comes from the split cycle engine. . .Then there is Achates Power with its opposed piston, two-stroke diesel. While this is not a split cycle, it bears noting for its direct application to heavy trucks.
August 11, 2011 Automobile Industry-Vogel	Achates Power Introduces Newly Designed Opposed-Piston Diesels Read PDF Version
August 9, 2011 Torque News	Achates Power Addresses Commercial Truck Mileage and Emissions Standards In a timely interview one week before President Obama announces the first U.S. CO2 emission rules for heavy trucks in Springfield, VA today, Achates Power, showed why it participated in the 2011 CAR Management Business Seminars in Traverse City, Michigan.
July 30, 2011 Automobile & Parts Magazine	Heritage and Innovation – Achates Power is Dedicated to Opposed-Piston Two-Stroke Engine Read PDF Version
July 28, 2011 Greentech Media	A 54.5 MPG Standard to Hit in 2025: Here Are Ten Ways to Improve Mileage With higher fuel standards on the way, here are some technologies that you might see automakers adopt, or adopt more often. . .6. New Engines. Pinnacle Engines is working on an opposed-piston gas engine, while EcoMotors and Achates Power have opposed-piston diesels.
July 27, 2011 oauto.com	Heritage and Innovation – Achates Power is Dedicated to Opposed-Piston Two-Stroke Engine
July 22, 2011 Greentech Media	The 50 MPG Chevy? Further out, expect to see trucks and/or cars powered by opposed piston diesel engines from the likes of Achates Power and EcoMotors. Achates Power says its two-stroke opposed piston diesel engine can increase fuel efficiency by another 10 to 15 percent.
July 18, 2011 Autocar Professional Magazine	Achates Power Kicks Off Talks with OEMs US-based Achates Power Inc is in talks with Indian OE manufacturers for an improved internal combustion engine technology that it has designed in-house. The two-stroke, opposed-piston (OP), compression ignition diesel engine is claimed to possess the ability to enhance fuel economy, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and lower costs for running passenger cars and commercial vehicles.Achates Power is in the process of defining projects for working with Indian vehicle manufacturers after completion of technical due diligence by prospective clients.
July 16-31, 2011 Auto Monitor	Achates Power To Conduct Field Trials Achates Power believes that opposed piston technology can help Indian OEMs to have vehicles that are more fuel efficient besides being cleaner in terms of emissions.
July 15, 2011 Autocar Professional Magazine	Achates Power Drives Opposed Piston Engine American company is in talks with some Indian OE manufacturers for the use of its fuel-efficient, opposed piston engine.
July 12, 2011 Hindu Business Line	Achates Eyes Indian Auto Market with New Engine It is barely seven years old but the US-based Achates Power already has over 800 patentable innovations in its kitty. Its mandate is simple: build better engines to meet the environmental challenges of the global transport industry. Read PDF Version
July 11, 2011 chinabuses.com	U.S. Opposed-Piston Engine Challenges Conventional Engines
July 10, 2011 cvworld.cn	U.S. Opposed-Piston Engine Challenges Conventional Engines
July 8, 2011 China Industry News	U.S. Opposed-Piston Engine Challenges Conventional Engines Read PDF Version
July 5, 2011 GigaOM Cleantech	Why the days of the internal combustion engine are NOT over Here's some sobering news out of the raucous fourth of July weekend: considering battery prices and $4.50 per gallon gasoline, it'll take a little under 6 years for a hybrid car to pay off in fuel savings, and 8 years for an electric car, according to this report in the Wall Street Journal. At that rate of battery innovation, and if gas prices don't climb, then plug-in cars will remain largely financially not viable for most buyers in the U.S. for years to come. That's not good news for electric car makers, but could actually be a driver for companies building new, more efficient, internal combustion engine technology...Other companies that I've covered that are developing more efficient engines include Pinnacle Engines, which makes a four-stroke engine that it says can deliver 30 to 50 percent better fuel economy, and could be commercialized by 2013. Another is Achates Power, which is building a closed piston, 2-stroke engine that gets 10 to 15 percent better fuel economy than state of the art diesel engines that exist today.
July 5, 2011 oauto.com	Achates Power, Inc.: Ambitions in Opposed-Piston Engines
July 4, 2011 Machinery & Electronics Business Daily	Opposed-Piston Engines: A Threat to Clean Energy? Read PDF Version
July 3, 2011 Shanghai Automotive News	New Engines Eye Clean Energy Read PDF Version
July 1, 2011 china.auto.net	Achates Power Engine Expands Business in Heavy Trucks with Improved Oil Efficiency
June 29, 2011 Greentech Media	Pinnacle Engines Aims to Slash Fuel Consumption by 25 to 50 Percent Although electric cars tend to grab most of the headlines, established companies and a select group of startups like Achates Power and EcoMotors are tinkering with ways to improve the efficiency of internal combustion engines.
June 17, 2011 Heavy Duty Trucking	Another Company Developing Fuel-Efficient, Opposed-Piston Engine "Pistons stay cooler and less heat is rejected than in current four-stroke diesels, which allows use of a smaller cooling system. Lab testing shows the Achates has 12 to 16 percent better brake-specific fuel efficiency. And if a modern four-stroke diesel's thermodynamic efficiency is 45 to 46 percent, then the Achates engine's "is on the order of 50 percent, and we have a road map to go to 55 percent," says Achates' president, David Johnson."
June 16, 2011 SoCal Tech	Achates Power Adds CTO San Diego-based Achates Power, the developer of improved internal combustion engine technology, said today that it has named John Koszewnik as Chief Technical Officer.
May 11, 2011 CNN Money	8 Greentech Trends to Watch "...Achates Power say their engine designs could drastically cut diesel consumption."
May 8, 2011 The San Diego Union-Tribune	Can diesel be a green fuel? Sorrento Valley company working on efficient engines
April 8, 2011 North County Times	Tech – It Helps to Have Friends Walmart Heir Played Hand in Achates Powers' Quest to Revolutionize Engine Market
March 31, 2011 KGTV-TV	Local Company Touts New Type of Car Engine Read Article Watch Video
March 30, 2011 The New York Times	Start-Ups Work to Reinvent the Combustion Engine "The Volt needs a better engine," said Mr. Johnson, adding that 1,600 hours of testing had shown Achates's engine was 15 percent more efficient than conventional diesel counterparts...
March 22, 2011 GigaOm/earth2tech and Reuters	Ford Taps Tiny Bubbles for Lighter, More Fuel Efficient Cars Ford is turning to a new tech to reduce the weight of its cars and improve fuel efficiency: tiny bubbles. Ford says it is trialling a technology out of the labs of MIT, now owned by Trexel, called MuCell, which injects micro bubbles into plastic components.
March 17, 2011 San Diego Daily Transcript	Greener, smarter, cheaper engines for passenger and commercial vehicles James Lemke is an airplane enthusiast who owns quite a few aircraft. Among those are several single-engine planes, which he was anxious about flying without a backup engine. So he wondered, why not have a lightweight engine as a backup?
March 4, 2011 RoadScholar.com	Achates Power to Release More Efficient Engine Achates Power, founded in 2004, proposed the creation of a new engine that would save on two important matters, both which are intermingled: fuel and cost.
March 4, 2011 GreenTech Media	An Engine That Costs Less and Gets Better Mileage? Achates Power… claims that its proposed two-stroke opposed piston diesel engine -- an idea put into practice by the Junkers aircraft company -- will cost 10 percent to 15 percent less than a conventional engine to manufacture and will increase fuel efficiency by 10 percent to 15 percent, according to CEO David Johnson.
February 15, 2011 Auto Monitor	Interview with David Johnson, President & CEO, Achates Power
January 12, 2011 CBSDetroit.com	A Nerd's-Eye View Of The North American International Auto Show
2010
December 7, 2010 WardsAuto.com	Developer Looks to Take Next Step With 2-Stroke Engine Concept
November 29, 2010 SAE.org	Opposed-piston Diesel Engine Closer to Reality
June 30, 2010 Calit2	Xconomy Forum Calls for Bold Leadership and Collaboration in Smart Energy
March 31, 2010 CBS News	Sixteen Ancient Green Technologies Reborn Not everything is new in greentech. A number of companies are based around technologies and concepts coined years and even centuries ago.
March 9, 2010 Clean Energy Sector	7 Startups Building Green Car Tech for a Pre-Electric World Achates Power... Testing a 4.2 liter, 4-cylinder engine "that rivals conventional engines nearly twice its size." Plans to license tech to big manufacturers and automakers
January 9, 2010 Green Car Congress	Opposed-piston Engine Company Achates Power Closes $19.2M Series B Round Achates Power, a company developing a new family of opposed-piston engines, has completed a $19.2M Series B round with the addition of a new investor, Triangle Peak Partners. Triangle Peak joins the company's existing investors: Sequoia Capital Partners, Rockport Capital Partners, Madrone Capital Partners, and InterWest Partners.
2009
July 14, 2009 Business Week	25 Companies to Watch in Energy Tech These clean-energy startups are hitting the market with products and services that could radically alter how we think of, and consume, power
June 8, 2009 Cleantech Group	Achates Power Rides Diesel Wave with Clean Engines The same fuel efficiency that drew Europeans to embrace diesel engines is taking hold of the U.S., and startup Achates Power is ready to pounce.
May 13, 2009 Business Week	Can Diesel Save Detroit? Plug-in vehicles held the spotlight in the turnaround plans drafted by General Motors and Chrysler in recent months, and Congress has allocated billions of dollars for investment in plug-in car and battery research, production, and infrastructure. But there's another technology in the mix that could end up doing more to help automakers meet tightening fuel-economy standards over the near term, while also creating new opportunities for entrepreneurs: diesel.
February 25, 2009 Cleantech Group	Hottest Startups Woo Cleantech Investors with Wide-Ranging Tech From clean diesel engines to personal solar panels, investors had a wide range of new technologies to peruse.
2008
January 24, 2008 cnet News	Another Diesel Engine Start-Up Comes Out of Stealth