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19 December 2008
ORBITAL SUPPORTS LOTUS ENGINEERING
WITH OMNIVORE ENGINE PROGRAM
Orbital is working
collaboratively with Lotus Engineering with the supply of hardware
and technical support to the OMNIVORE Concept Engine program.
The OMNIVORE concept engine is a program led
by Lotus Engineering in conjunction with Queen's University Belfast
to develop an engine which maximises fuel efficiency when operating
on a wide range of renewable fuels.
The engine features an innovative variable
compression ratio system and uses a two-stroke operating cycle with
direct fuel injection making the OMNIVORE engine ideally suited
to flex-fuel operation with a higher degree of optimisation than
is possible with existing engine designs. The results of the engine
testing will be used to model vehicle performance and fuel consumption
efficiency potential.
Orbital's support to Lotus Engineering is with
provision of the FlexDI™ direct injection system and technical
assistance, including Orbital's developments with HCCI (Homogeneous
Charge Compression Ignition) to maximise the combustion benefits
from the direct injection system. As a part of this collaboration,
Orbital will be able to share in the information generated by the
program, and to be able to jointly publish results.
Mr Terry Stinson, Orbital CEO and Managing
Director comments: "We are pleased to be involved with this
program through Lotus Engineering. We see this as an important program
having potential long term benefits to both the consumer in improved
fuel consumption and in also helping to reduce the greenhouse gas
emissions from future automotive engines. The OMNIVORE program aligns
very well with Orbital's alternative fuel strategies"
Mike Kimberley, Chief Executive Officer of
Group Lotus Plc said: "The automotive industry is now focusing
on its environmental obligations to reduce CO2 emissions and improve
efficiencies and we are seeing the high technology capabilities
of Lotus Engineering being in strong demand. The OMNIVORE concept
will employ novel engine architecture to achieve a high thermal
efficiency when fuelled on any alcohols or gasoline and the engine
design will significantly increase fuel efficiency for sustainable
alcohol fuels. In partnership with Orbital and Queen's University
Belfast we look forward to progressing the research development
and the demonstration of this environmentally conscious transport
solution."
The OMNIVORE programme complements the recently
unveiled Lotus Exige 270E Tri-fuel as part of Lotus' research to
understand the complex combustion process involved in running on
mixtures of alcohol fuels and gasoline, which will be important
for a successful transition from today's fuels to the sustainable,
synthetic fuels of the future. For more information on the OMINVORE
engine program, please visit the following Lotus website: http://www.grouplotus.com/mediacentre/
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