The Scuderi Group is helping to sponsor 18-year-old German auto racer Dominik Wasem in the Formula BMW Germany Series. The Formula BMW is an open wheel racing series aimed at developing the talent of young drivers. Dominik has two more races this season: October 28 and 29 in Hockenheim, Germany. Best of luck, Dominik! For more information on the BMW Germany Series, visit http://bmw-motorsport.com/ms/en/index.html.

Scuderi Group to Unveil Air-Hybrid Diesel Engine Design at IAA Expo in Hanover, Germany Sept. 21-28; Diesel Version of Breakthrough Engine to Provide Dramatic Cost, Power, and Environmental Benefits

WEST SPRINGFIELD, Mass., USA – September 13, 2006 – The Scuderi Group announced today that they will be demonstrating the benefits of their breakthrough Air-Hybrid diesel engine at the International Automobile Association’s Commercial Vehicle Show (IAA) which takes place from September 21-28 in Hanover, Germany (Booth 24 CO3)

The design and performance of the Scuderi Engine – potentially the world’s most efficient internal combustion engine – has been verified by one of the world’s leading independent engine testing laboratories. With even a bigger impact on diesel engines than on gasoline engines, the Scuderi technology not only improves the performance of the diesel engine but reduces the complexity and cost.

The Scuderi Difference: reduction or elimination of exhaust treatment, turbocharging and injectors

“The innovations in the design of the Scuderi engine reduces the cost of diesel systems by eliminating or dramatically reducing three of the most expensive and complex parts of a diesel system - turbocharging, injectors and exhaust treatment,” said Sal Scuderi, president of The Scuderi Group. “Because of the inherent design advantages of the Scuderi Air-Hybrid diesel engine, we estimate that this engine can lower the cost of diesel engines by as much as 40-50%. We strongly believe that the Scuderi Air-Hybrid engine is the diesel engine design of the future.”

Perhaps the feature with the largest cost impact is the reduction or elimination of the exhaust treatment system. Because of the unique method of firing after top dead center and a very fast moving power piston, the two biggest emission problems for diesel engines (NOx and soot) are eliminated or drastically reduced. Emission reduction has been the greatest challenge for today’s diesel engine manufacturers, with the sophistication and cost of the exhaust treatment systems growing rapidly. The newer urea-based Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) exhaust treatment systems can add from $11,000 to over $50,000 to the cost of large diesel engines. In addition, the extra weight and complexity increases the cost of maintenance and repairs.

Because of the built-in supercharging capabilities of the Scuderi Engine, the need for turbochargers is eliminated. The cost of turbochargers alone can save thousands of dollars per system.

Because the Scuderi Engine fires only on half of its cylinders, only half of the fuel injectors are required. The cost of today’s high pressure injectors can amount to over 30% of the base engine cost. In addition, because of the high turbulence created by the air transferring into the power cylinder from the transfer passage, the Scuderi Diesel Engine will be able to use low pressure, low cost injectors instead of expensive high-pressure injectors.

The Scuderi Engine
Developed by a team of fluid mechanic and thermodynamic experts, the Scuderi engine is expected to deliver a significant improvement in performance, efficiency and environmental impact. The Scuderi Group accomplished these advances by focusing on the fluid and thermodynamics at the heart of the engine, challenging conventional approaches to engine design in place for over 120 years.
As a result of this breakthrough design, and verified through the most sophisticated computer modeling available today, the Scuderi engine is expected to:

• Improve fuel efficiency in today’s gas and diesel engines by almost one third
• Emit 80 percent less toxic emissions than today’s gas and diesel engines
• Enhance the performance of hybrid engines
• Provide significantly more power than a conventional engine
• Be easy to manufacture because it utilizes the same components found in today’s engines

Scuderi Air-Hybrid Engine
By adding a small air storage tank with some simple controls costing only a few hundred dollars, the Scuderi engine can recapture energy normally lost during the braking of a vehicle. To accomplish this with electric hybrids requires a complex electrical system costing thousands of dollars, consisting of generators, motors, and large batteries. In addition, unlike electric hybrids, the Scuderi Air-Hybrid has the unique capability of recapturing energy from the exhaust of the engine, making it possible to utilize a Scuderi Air-Hybrid design in stationary applications such as electric generators – an application where electric hybrids are considered impractical.

Currently under development at a world renowned research and testing laboratory, the first diesel and gasoline prototypes are expected to be completed by late 2007.

Next week the Scuderi Group will debut the designs of the diesel version of their Air Hybrid Engine at the 61st International Automobile Association Commercial Vehicles show in Hanover, Germany.

Today we talked with Sal Scuderi to learn more about the diesel air hybrid engine.

The world’s large second largest country, and second fastest growing economy, India, is addresing the challenge of alternative fuels and hyrbid technology. Considering there are well over 1 billion people in India, this is a good thing for the future of both.

After ethanol, next focus is hybrid cars

NEW DELHI: With the government’s alternate fuel programme for doping petrol with ethanol set to go national from November 1, experts feel that the next stage will be to make alternate fuels and hybrid technology for automobiles commercially viable.

Regulations are in place, and automobile companies and engine manufacturers have to immediately begin to modify the internal combustion engine to make it more effecienct and envirnmentally friendly.

As far as automobiles are concerned, 5% blending of both petrol and diesel with ethanol does not require any change in vehicle engines. Beyond that level, though, automobile companies in India have to modify engines. They have, by and large, expressed their inability to invest in hybrids vehicles that improve fuel efficiency, citing the government’s apathy towards such technologies.

Hybrid vehicles run on more than one fuel simultaneously, with one engine mostly comprising electrical batteries.

The Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) is making some efforts to lead the way in alternate fuels. It has signed a technology transfer agreement with its German counterpart VDA for developing alternate fuel-powered vehicles such as hybrids

To read the full article, click here.

CAD industry expert and blogger Evan Yares has just posted a fascinating article on the Scuderi engine titled Real Functional Design.

I ran across an intriguing new design for an internal combustion engine. The Scuderi Split-Cycle Engine promises engine efficiency increases from 33% to almost 40%, with toxic emissions reductions as great as 80%.

Yet, the engine has never been built. So how does Scuderi know how it will perform?

Simulation.

Not surprising, given Evan’s background, he focuses on the simulation software (GT Power) used by Scuderi and the internationally respected lab where it was tested. This is a very interesting article that provides insight into the sophisticated computer simulations that are behind the tremendous advancements in engine power, effeciency and performace claimed by The Scuderi Group. These are not empty claims, but the result of the most sophisticated computer testing available today, which is utilized by all the major automobile manufacturers.

I spoke with Rifat Keribar, a Vice President at Gamma. He explained to me that GT-Power is part of an integrated suite of applications for the conceptual modeling and analysis of engines. It allows an engineer to create a complete functional model of an engine, and analyze combustion characteristics, acoustics, fuel economy, emissions, valvetrain kinematics/dynamics, camshaft vibrations, cam design, injection system pressure and flow dynamics, hydraulic systems, engine heat management, cooling, crankshaft dynamics and torsional vibrations, engine balance, block vibrations, mounts, bearing oil films - and apparently even more. This is not a program for weekend mechanics, but rather a tool for serious powertrain engineers.

To read the whole article, click here.