As the show wound down, engineers and press continued to frequent the booth, sometimes coming back for additional visits, and mostly to check out the enlarged model of the valve train assembly.

During the three days at Engine Expo many engineers took the opportunity to learn more about the Scuderi Air-Hybrid Engine.

Even with a hot Renault Team Formula 3 race car anchoring the exhibit, it was the valve train model that understandably got the most attention. With the valve train test rig proving the speed of the valves and its design are in working order, it gave visitors a peek at how the Air-Hybrid engine will accomplish significant gains in fuel efficiency and produce up to 80 percent less NOx. It’s configuration also gave engineers a chance to see how the engine will have have little impact on the overall manufacuring process since the Air-Hybrid uses most of the same components already in place in vehicles today.

With the Day Three finished, the Scuderi takes a deep breath as it moves on to other meetings with development partners and back to everyone’s respective offices in Frankfurt and Massachusetts. The engineering and licensing teams are due back in Germany early next month, this time in Munich to participate in the 2008 MTZ Motor Conference.

The centerpiece of the exhibit - the first model of the engine that features the valve train assembly - continued to draw a crowd as many onlookers watched the revolving model while getting more of a multimedia demonstration via the Scuderi DVD. Several major OEMs spent lots of time in the booth talking with engineers about nuances of the engine and how it can achieve historial fuel efficiency levels and product up to 80 percent less toxins than all the conventional and hybrid vehicles on the road today.

The booth is located right next to the Open Technology Forum, which was the stage for this year’s Engine of the Year Awards. This year, taking the prize for Green Engine of the Year 2008 was Toyota with it 1.5-litre Hybrid Synergy Drive (Prius). Just edging out the BMW Diesel 2-litre 118d and 318d, the Toyota engine claimed the award for “still being the greenest engine that the automotive industry can provide, and still unbeatable by any other concept,” stated the judges report. The Scuderi Air-Hybrid Engine was not eligible for the award this year. Wth the award-winning engines lining one side of the Scuderi booth, it gave some of the top engineering executives from Volkswagen, BMW, Porsche, and Subaru additional opportunities to learn more about the Scuderi Air-Hybrid.

Day Three promises to be another busy day, starting with an offsite meeting at a major OEM and continued discussions with European engineers and media visiting the booth. Stay tuned!

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.

Now in its tenth year, Engine Expo is billed as “the most important international trade show for automotive, bus and truck engine designers and manufacturers … Engine Expo provides the most intense concentration of engine component manufacturers and technology providers anywhere in the world.”

Scuderi Group executives and staff will be at Stand 5342. The company invites attendees to stop by to get an overview of the Scuderi Air-Hybrid Engine, and to learn about recent test findings — based on a working valve train prototype — that back the design Scuderi Air-Hybrid Engine’s crossover valve train.

These findings demonstrate that the sophisticated computer models that the Scuderi Group is using to develop the Air-Hybrid Engine are producing concrete engineering results that work as expected when prototyped.

When asked about plans for Engine Exop, Scuderi President Sal Scuderi said that the company plans to display a demonstration model of the valve train (seen below), so that engineers can “touch and feel it and get a much better picture of how the hardware is going to work.” .

The crossover valve train is one of the most critical portions of the Scuderi Engine.

In this podcast, Scuderi Group President Sal Scuderi talks about the latest developments.

“We’ve got a confluence of a number of events that have really disrupted crude oil supply,” said Victor Shum, an energy analyst with Purvin & Gertz in Singapore. “That’s what’s driving oil to a new record even though the U.S. dollar actually strengthened a bit.”

Light, sweet crude for June delivery rose to a record $119.93 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract eased back to $119.04 a barrel by noon in Europe, up 52 cents from Friday’s close of $118.52.

BP PLC on Sunday shut down the Forties Pipeline System that carries more than 700,000 barrels of oil a day to the U.K. because of a 48-hour walkout by employees at a refinery in central Scotland.

Workers walked out of the Grangemouth refinery vowing not to give ground in their dispute with refinery owner Ineos over plans to close a generous pension scheme to new employees. Ineos chief executive Tom Crotty said it could take a week for the plant to return to production once the strike ends on Tuesday. BP said its pipeline could be up and running within 24 hours.

BP’s Kinneil plant, the onshore processing center for the pipeline system, is powered from the Grangemouth site.

“With the refinery being shut down, it will affect supplies from the North Sea and that has a potentially significant impact,” said David Moore, a commodity strategist with the Commonwealth Bank of Australia in Sydney. “That comes at the same time that there’s production disruptions from Nigeria so the combined effect of those is the immediate factor that’s put pressure on oil prices.”

Analyst Stephen Schork also attributed the bullish market to the combination of events stoking supply concerns.

Read the rest of the AP story.

Even with marketing material reinforcements arriving that morning, information about the most efficient internal combustion engine was grabbed at such a fast rate that only four kits were left when the lights were finally shut off at Detroit’s Cobo Center. Even still as the official close was announced, local OEMs were still hanging around the exhibit booth wanting to know more about the latest valve train test rig and results of the recent full load study. The action never stopped.

On hand to support Scuderi Group’s sponsorship of the SAE VIP Reception were European Vice President of Operations Lutz Deyerling, Vice President of Sales and Marketing Nick Scuderi, Ruth Scuderi, President Sal Scuderi, and Vice President Steve Scuderi.

Team Scuderi closed out the event by executing their exclusive sponsorship of the VIP reception prior to the big annual banquet that honors the year’s automotive engineering notables. It was a formal affair with automotive elite on hand to mingle, eat, drink and be merry as they toasted each others’ annual accomplishments. A good time was had by all.

The group now heads home to West Springfield and Frankfurt as they regroup and rest up for another active week coming up. With meetings with a major OEM in France and marketing/public relations firms in Germany, Team Scuderi will continue its tour as it gears up for Engine Expo Stuttgart in May.

Wednesday started with an off-site meeting between the engineering team and a major local OEM that showed genuine progress that U.S. auto manufacturers would not miss out on what European and Indian auto makers have realized to date: The Scuderi Engine has the potential to solve their major emissions compliance and hybrid product line challenges.

The message was simple: The efficiency and emission study results provide automakers with the validation that not only could they have the most inexpensive, fuel-efficient vehicle ever, but also the opportunity to offer today’s driver the most affordable - and efficient - “green” car out there.

Meanwhile, things were busy at the exhibit booth, with visits from OEMs from the China, Japan, Korea, Germany, and the U.S. contingents.

It was also a heavy day for media as reporters and producers from PowerTrain International, Automotive News, Wards AutoWorld, Canadian Automotive Business, WWJ News Detroit, and AutoLine Detroit came by for interviews and updates on all the news and developments.

Today is Day Four and with that brings the final day of the event and what has been a tradition here since its debut two years ago, the Scuderi sponsorship of the VIP Reception prior to the big SAE 2007 Annual Banquet — a black tie affair and yet another opportunity for the Scuderi Group to showcase its innovations, the event honors the top OEMs and suppliers of 2008. The banquet takes place at the Marriott ballroom adjacent to the GM compound on the banks of the river in downtown Detroit.

To open the event, the U.S. National Anthem will be performed by the Wayne State University Glee Club. The event will be facilitated by master of ceremonies Paul W. Smith, talk host on WJR Radio News Detroit.

Hundreds of engineers from around the world flowed through the booth hoping to learn more about the engine, which has passed every critical test to date. Reps from major OEMS from the U.S., Europe, and Asia were present, often visiting more than once with colleagues and others interested in finding out all the technical nuances that enable the engine to achieve higher efficiency, more power, and less NOx emissions than any conventional or hybrid engine on the road today.

This is the third year the Scuderi Group has exhibited at this event and VP of Marketing and Sales Nick Scuderi commented that, by far, this has been the best SAE event for the group.

Media was also present, including visits by Autochannel.com, AutoTech News, OEM Off Highway magazine, and Supplier Business, among others.

With a good night’s sleep behind them, Team Scuderi has a busy day today as Day Three gets underway with an off site meeting at a major OEM, follow ups with its patent team, and more scheduled press interviews.

DETROIT, MI -April 15, 2008 - Reaching yet another significant milestone in its development of the world’s most fuel efficient internal combustion engine — The Scuderi Air-Hybrid Engine — the Scuderi Group today announced that measured results from valve train test rig tests by an independent laboratory have exceeded expectations and have had a nearly perfect match to initial computer predictions of the engine. This announcement marks the first day of the Scuderi Group’s participation in the SAE World Congress and Exposition at the Cobo Center, where they will be meeting with automotive engineers from around the world to discuss the latest developments of the much-anticipated Scuderi Engine (Booth 1337).

The newly developed valve train test rig is designed to fully actuate, test and measure all performance criteria of the Scuderi Engine’s crossover valve train sub-assembly, prior to the final assembly of the first Scuderi Engine prototype. The crossover valve train is one of the most critical portions of the Scuderi Engine since it must actuate at greater than Formula 1 speeds. Testing on the valve train test rig is expected to continue through the month of April.

“The valve train on the Scuderi Engine has been one of the most scrutinized features of the engine since our debut here at SAE World Congress two years ago,” said Sal Scuderi, president of the Scuderi Group. “The valve train test rig simulates every aspect of the engine’s environment, minus the heat of combustion. Therefore the laboratory was able to fully actuate the crossover valves at all engine speeds under all load conditions, and compare measured results to the computer-predicted performance data.”