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Here's Why We Don't Have Opposed-Piston Engines‐at Least Not Yet
[Autoweek] Why does just about every motor vehicle in the world have a four-stroke Otto-cycle internal combustion engine? Surely after more than 100 years of the automobile someone must have thought of something better?Well, they did, and almost from the start. No, I am not talking about the Wankel, though you have to give Mazda credit for sticking with that one as long as it did. And no, I’m not talking about the radial, the gas turbine, or steam. I’m talking about the opposed-piston engine. Opposed-piston engines have been around since the late-19th century, so the idea isn’t new. In that time they’ve been placed in heavy-duty conveyances like trains, tanks, ships, and submarines. Their advantage early on was range. An airplane in the 1930s flew 6,000 miles with an opposed-piston engine without refueling. Submarines appreciated range, too. As did trains. You could go farther with the fuel you could carry using an OP engine. Posted by: Besoeker 2021-04-10 |
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