Perhaps the combustion engine has a future.
Nearly every automaker is working towards a battery-electric future. Although it’s still many years away, automakers are continuing to introduce new EVs and ending the development of internal combustion engines. Although ICE may have a future it might look very different to what we currently know. Astron Aerospace introduced the Omega 1, an innovative engine with a unique design.
The Omega 1 is small and powerful, designed to work with many fuels. It also has the ability to produce very little or no emissions. The Omega 1 lacks an offset crankshaft and reciprocating pistons. It also doesn’t have an eccentric shaft, which is similar to a Wankel Rotary engine. The Omega 1 design avoids the problem of exhaust gas overlap, which is a common issue in Wankel engines.
One design of the Omega has two chambers, one with a pre-chamber that separates hot exhaust gas from cold intake air. The Omega has four rotors that are mounted on two shafts and run in pairs. The intake and compression are handled by the front pair, while the combustion and exhaust are handled by the second. The synchronization gears attach the stacked rotors to each other so that they move in opposite directions at the same time. Astron claims that the Omega’s design is not subject to the same sealing issues and that it is a completely linear unit.
The engine’s design makes it possible to stack multiple engines together to increase the engine’s output. The Omega 1 standard engine is only 35 pounds in weight and can produce 160 horsepower (119 Kilowatts) or 170 pound-feet (223 Newton-meters). According to the company, it claims that they have a working prototype of an internal combustion engine.
It will be enough to keep ICE alive. Although it is unlikely that ICE will be used in the future, there may still be some applications. Without massive infrastructure investment, developing countries will have a hard time with electric cars. Those people will still need to move around. While infrastructure is being constructed, this engine could reduce emissions significantly.