Babagounj
Strength through joy
probably less cost seeing how these new engines will be lighter in weight and produce more torque .
Buy USA! USA! Trucks and Motors
- Thread starter Catatonic
- Start date
Babagounj
Strength through joy
Nice article .
But my trucks tend to get wet , in salt water , several times a year .
Too many electrical parts could fail .
Babagounj
Strength through joy
At Least One Automaker Plans to Produce an Opposed-Piston Engine - Motor Trend
During industry days at the 2017 North American International Auto Show, CEO David Johnson announced that by 2018 Achates would produce a drivable prototype truck powered by a 2.7-liter 270-hp, 479-lb-ft supercharged turbodiesel OP-3 engine capable of complying with Tier 3, LEV III, Euro 6 emissions while exceeding 2025 CAFE standards (its projected EPA label values will be 25/32/28 mpg city/highway/combined, yielding a 37-mpg unadjusted CAFE figure when 33 is the requirement for trucks with a footprint of 65-70 square-feet). Johnson further claimed that it would be 30 percent more efficient than the best diesel engines of comparable output, and 50 percent thriftier than the best similar gas engines. But the bigger bombshell was his announcement that of the nine automakers who have signed on as development partners, at least one of them has begun tooling up to build an opposed-piston engine in volume.
Why it’s Efficient:
Bottom line: Achates claims that meeting 2025 CAFE regulations with this engine will cost about $1,000 less than doing so by further modifying and/or electrifying the current crop of engines. This should allow manufacturers to meet the more stringent standards without forcing customers to “pay for fuel economy” they don’t care about with cheap gas, and without forcing them to compromise on their vehicle’s size or capability. Meeting regulations further out into the future can be done by applying current technologies like 48-volt electrification to the Achates engine.
During industry days at the 2017 North American International Auto Show, CEO David Johnson announced that by 2018 Achates would produce a drivable prototype truck powered by a 2.7-liter 270-hp, 479-lb-ft supercharged turbodiesel OP-3 engine capable of complying with Tier 3, LEV III, Euro 6 emissions while exceeding 2025 CAFE standards (its projected EPA label values will be 25/32/28 mpg city/highway/combined, yielding a 37-mpg unadjusted CAFE figure when 33 is the requirement for trucks with a footprint of 65-70 square-feet). Johnson further claimed that it would be 30 percent more efficient than the best diesel engines of comparable output, and 50 percent thriftier than the best similar gas engines. But the bigger bombshell was his announcement that of the nine automakers who have signed on as development partners, at least one of them has begun tooling up to build an opposed-piston engine in volume.
Why it’s Efficient:
- Thermal efficiency: Low ratio of combustion-chamber surface area to cylinder swept volume and elimination of cylinder head mean there’s much less heat rejected to the cooling system so more of the heat of combustion goes to propelling the vehicle.
- Lower friction: With no cylinder head bolts to distort the bore, there’s less ring friction, and the lower peak operating speed of any compression-ignition engine lowers friction.
- Lower pumping work: Intake and exhaust enter and leave via ports arranged around the cylinder at the top and bottom of the pistons’ strokes, so the pistons do no pumping work. With some of these ports open at all times on an engine with three or more cylinders, the supercharger and turbo also operate more efficiently.
- Lighter weight: Lower cylinder pressures mean that even the diesel doesn’t need to be “hardened” to the same extent as a conventional four-stroke diesel.
- Cooler operation: Lower peak cylinder pressures and temperatures reduce the amount of NOx and other pollutants produced in the cylinder.
- Horizontal direct injection: Two fuel injectors spray across the cylinder instead of onto the hot pistons, which can cause the quenching that leads to particulate formation. Also, the stroke is long enough to fully burn the hydrocarbons.
- Simpler assembly: Eliminating the cylinder head, valvetrain, and the machining thereof gets partially offset by the addition of a second crankshaft and the gears connecting the cranks, but overall assembly should be simpler. Also note that the Achates design requires only minimal retooling of existing engine plants.
- Reduced cooling needs: Since it throws off less heat, the cooling system can likely be downsized.
- Fewer emissions to control: Cleaner engine-out emissions allows all catalysts to be downsized and/or their precious-metal loading to be reduced.
- Broad torque curve: With a broad range of torque and engine efficiency, it is less crucial to invest in nine- or 10-speed transmissions.
Bottom line: Achates claims that meeting 2025 CAFE regulations with this engine will cost about $1,000 less than doing so by further modifying and/or electrifying the current crop of engines. This should allow manufacturers to meet the more stringent standards without forcing customers to “pay for fuel economy” they don’t care about with cheap gas, and without forcing them to compromise on their vehicle’s size or capability. Meeting regulations further out into the future can be done by applying current technologies like 48-volt electrification to the Achates engine.
It will be fine
Well-Known Member
You have a truck without electrical parts now? Is it from the 40's?
Babagounj
Strength through joy
More concerned about electrical shocks .
I just don't think an electrical run truck will last in such a salty environment .
The few Prius that do launch and recover their crafts , use the car as an anchor point for their ropes to move the trailers in & out of the water .
Catatonic
Nine Lives
So much for shorts and shocks.
wkmac
Well-Known Member
Back to the battery issue. I'm looking serious at the AGM type battery with Optima being at the top of the list. I'd like to segregate the main battery as engine only (Red Top Optima) and then add a 2nd dual battery box located elsewhere with 2 Blue Top Optimas that can handle many deep cycles but with a quick recharge rate. We'll see how this goes moving forward. There is no room under the hood for a 2nd battery so now I've got to look elsewhere on the truck to see where it would best fit.
Babagounj
Strength through joy
A nice place to put the 2 blues would be in a custom box ( not metal ) in the bed , close to the cab .
The custom box would run the width of the bed and be color coded to match the bed , so it would look like a raised step . I'd mount the batteries as close to the center line as possible to balance the extra weight added . The wires could be run out of the bed and under the cab without being seen .
The extra space created in the custom battery box could be used as storage .
The custom box would run the width of the bed and be color coded to match the bed , so it would look like a raised step . I'd mount the batteries as close to the center line as possible to balance the extra weight added . The wires could be run out of the bed and under the cab without being seen .
The extra space created in the custom battery box could be used as storage .
wkmac
Well-Known Member
Actually looking at the bed also but on the right side near the wheel well cab side. This weight acts to counterbalance with the fuel tank (left side of truck plus skid plate) albeit with 38 gallons the fuel still has the winning edge. One consideration is to build a deck system between the wheel wells and the space behind the cab wheel well high. On the right side install a water bladder (potable water storage) and then mount the batteries more towards the center along with all the power management system such a switches, fuses, inverter, etc. Left side could be general storage area. The rear section of the bed could be pullout areas for stove, refrigerator other storage.
As for power management/batteries, the guys at Overland Expedition have the general idea of what I want to follow.
As for the bed structure, something along this line is what I was thinking. The batteries and power management are might regular special considerations but the rest would be fairly straight forward. And being I already have a pretty extensive woodshop, this construction would be a piece of cake. Besides, I'm needing an excuse for a Festool Track Saw so my motives aren't exactly pure!
Another option requires even less from the truck bed but you outfit a small enclosed cargo trailer. My only demand should we take the trailer route is I would want to cut out the rigid axle/leaf spring suspension and install a trailing arm suspension as this would allow more suspension travel for off road. And I can do that too as all you need is a good welder and some geometry. The trailer option leaves the truck more in a normal configuration or limits the modifications so that removal is much easier. You could still place the batteries in the trailer and wire the truck and trailer to charge those batteries and even include a small generator in the trailer. You could also mount solar panels on the trailer roof or attach a telescoping tower and pop on a 400 watt wind generator as it only weighs 19 lbs. Since we want to use this mostly in the winter months when we have typical constant winds, this might be a good option to consider.
wkmac
Well-Known Member
We have a lot of Corp. people in and out of our building all the time and I know a number of PE and Automotive folks so today I spoke to a Corp Automotive manager about Achates and after looking at some info on it, he was very interested and is going to look at them further. If it goes anywhere I'll make sure to take all the credit and if it bombs I'll blame you!
Actually I told him where I heard about it so you're officially being watched!
Also found this piece from Motortrend back in January on the Achates engine. I was fascinated that their engine uses an old school type Roots Blower.
At Least One Automaker Plans to Produce an Opposed-Piston Engine
Babagounj
Strength through joy
We have a lot of Corp. people in and out of our building all the time and I know a number of PE and Automotive folks so today I spoke to a Corp Automotive manager about Achates and after looking at some info on it, he was very interested and is going to look at them further. If it goes anywhere I'll make sure to take all the credit and if it bombs I'll blame you!
Actually I told him where I heard about it so you're officially being watched!
Hope they give you a big bonus for your suggestion .
No longer an employee , so they have no reason to watch me anymore .
They did watch me a lot , a P.I. I knew confirmed it and on another case I was able to watch the video they had collected . One important note about that video , the time stamp was never properly set up .
wkmac
Well-Known Member
I won't get any bonus besides, I did tell them I read about it on Browncafe as they did ask me where I heard about it. Besides, I'd like to see the idea go somewhere and if that happens to play a role in it, I'll enjoy knowing that regardless what impact it has on my wallet. Yes, sometimes money is not the chief thing that motivates me.
It will be fine
Well-Known Member
Probably the Mercedes motor like the Sprinters. They make a nice deisel engine.
wkmac
Well-Known Member
Nissan already builds a truck (Titan) that comes with a Cummins 5.0 V8 Diesel. The Benz engine used in the Sprinter might be a nice fit but didn't work that well for us. We had some at our facility in which they gathered data and one thing they were looking at was the engine wasn't getting the mileage as expected. It was finally discovered that the way we load down vehicles, in the case of the Sprinter engine, it was forced to run at 95% just to roll down the road and under those conditions, no way would it get the fuel mileage expected. Now in a smaller urban or more rural area where the vehicle wasn't demanded to hold 120% of cargo capacity day in and day out, I bet they work great.
Babagounj
Strength through joy
Yes, the Mercedes-Benz Pickup Truck Is Real, and There Are Two Versions
http://www.usatoday.com/story/money...hows-off-concept-first-pickup-truck/98596668/
Daimler, parent of Mercedes-Benz, says it is bringing the latest concept version of its first pickup to the Geneva Motor Show later this month as a luxury midsize model.
When it hits showrooms later this year, X-Class will be sold in what Mercedes says are a bunch of "key markets," and the U.S. isn't included (for the moment). They are Argentina, Brazil, South Africa, Australia with New Zealand and Europe.
"With the Mercedes-Benz pickup, we will close one of the last gaps in our portfolio," said Dieter Zetsche, Daimler's chairman and head of Mercedes-Benz Cars. "The X-Class will set new standards in a growing segment."
The concept version being shown in Geneva will be more upscale than the one seen last year at an event in Sweden. It will be made at Nissan and Renault plants under an agreement that Mercedes-Benz has hammered out.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/money...hows-off-concept-first-pickup-truck/98596668/
Daimler, parent of Mercedes-Benz, says it is bringing the latest concept version of its first pickup to the Geneva Motor Show later this month as a luxury midsize model.
When it hits showrooms later this year, X-Class will be sold in what Mercedes says are a bunch of "key markets," and the U.S. isn't included (for the moment). They are Argentina, Brazil, South Africa, Australia with New Zealand and Europe.
"With the Mercedes-Benz pickup, we will close one of the last gaps in our portfolio," said Dieter Zetsche, Daimler's chairman and head of Mercedes-Benz Cars. "The X-Class will set new standards in a growing segment."
The concept version being shown in Geneva will be more upscale than the one seen last year at an event in Sweden. It will be made at Nissan and Renault plants under an agreement that Mercedes-Benz has hammered out.
wkmac
Well-Known Member
@Baba gounj
As we were earlier talking about on board power, electrical power storage specifically, I found this article from MIT dated 2010' concerning shock absorbers that generate electricity which reduces the engine load to accomplish the same task. The wife and I went Saturday to an area in North Georgia called Beasley Knob (near Blairsville) and we went on several trails that with such shocks I think you could power a small city!
Jokes aside, interesting concept but not sure of current status. A patent was filed in March 2014' so who knows where this could go.
Electricity-Generating Shock Absorbers
As we were earlier talking about on board power, electrical power storage specifically, I found this article from MIT dated 2010' concerning shock absorbers that generate electricity which reduces the engine load to accomplish the same task. The wife and I went Saturday to an area in North Georgia called Beasley Knob (near Blairsville) and we went on several trails that with such shocks I think you could power a small city!
Jokes aside, interesting concept but not sure of current status. A patent was filed in March 2014' so who knows where this could go.
Electricity-Generating Shock Absorbers
