Achates Power is an American developer of opposed-piston, two-stroke, compression ignition engines for use in commercial and passenger vehicles.
[1] According to Achates Power, its opposed-piston, two-stroke engine has demonstrated an increase in fuel efficiency and similar engine-out emissions levels.
This eliminates parts including the cylinder head and valvetrain, improving overall engine efficiency as these components are considered primary contributors to heat and friction losses.
With this cycle, each combustion event is shorter in duration and, therefore, closer to optimum timing as compared to four-stroke engines.
[10] For example: 2004: Company founded by James Lemke with investment from the late John Walton, son of Sam Walton, the founder of Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. 2005: Engine testing begins at the company's in-house test cell 2007: Series A venture capital round led by Sequoia Capital with investments from RockPort Capital Partners, Madrone Capital Partners and InterWest Partners; company receives DARPA contract to design lightweight, compact UAV engine 2008: 500 hours of testing completed 2009: Second company test cell commissioned; Series B venture capital round led with new investor, Triangle Peak Partners 2010: Engine passes NATO 50-hour cyclic durability test; over 1,000 hours of testing completed; additional test stand added to company facility 2011: Over 2,500 hours of testing completed 2012: First firing of the company's A48 opposed-piston, double crank, spur gear train engine; company surpasses 3,600 hours of total test time; along with AVL Powertrain Engineering, Inc., Achates Power is selected by the U.S. Army to develop next-generation combat engine 2013: Achates Power selected for Frost & Sullivan 2013 North American New Product Innovation Award in the medium- and heavy-duty commercial vehicle engine market; company exceeds 4,500 hours of total test time; company named first runner-up in Securing America's Future Energy (SAFE) “Energy Security Prize”; Fairbanks Morse Engine signs joint development and licensing agreement with Achates Power 2014: Achates Power engine surpasses 5,000 hours of dynamometer testing; company releases results of light-duty diesel engine study comparing its engine to a next-generation diesel engine benchmark[11] 2015: The company is awarded a $14 million military contract by the U.S. Army Tank Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Center to help in the development of the Army's "future fighting vehicle" [12]