After many hours of travel via trains, planes and automobiles, the Scuderi team arrived at the brand new Stuttgart Messa on Tuesday for the opening of the 2008 Engine Expo, Europe’s premier trade show focusing on engine design and development. This is the third consecutive year the Scuderi Group and its Air-Hybrid Engine had participated in the event.

Sal Scuderi presents his talk during the Open Technology Forum held Tuesday at Engine Expo in Stuttgart, Germany.

For the first time, an actual model of what is expected to be the world’s most fuel efficient internal combustion engine was on display at the exhibit. Showcased on a revolving stand in the center of the booth, the model attracted steady crowds of engineers, investors, students and the media. This is the first time an actual model of the Scuderi engine has been available for public viewing and features the split cycle arrangement and valve train that was recently proven by an independent laboratory to match or exceed all earlier computer simulated predictions. And the OEMs definitely took notice as many of their research and development teams poked, prodded and inquired about the innovative features of the engine.

Another highlight of the day was a presentation by Scuderi Group president Sal Scuderi to a packed Open Technology Forum where he participated in the Reducing Emissions track. Titled, “Air Could Be the Answer,” Sal explored the idea of using compressed air to reduce vehicle emissions. In his presentation, he highlighted that the Scuderi Air-Hybrid - with its air tank that captures wasted energy in the form of compressed air - has the potential of increasing fuel efficiency to historical levels and reduce the release of NOx by up to 80 percent compared to all the vehicles on the road today. He also discussed how the Air-Hybrid is expected to have considerably more torque an power over conventional engines with minimal manufacturing and retooling costs.

The day was capped off by the Scuderi Group’s annual booth buffet reception, where over 200 engineers and press attended and had the chance to learn more about the Air-Hybrid technology.