Chrysler Plans Two-Stroke Engine Cars : Automobiles: But the project with Mercury Marine to develop the more efficient power plant still faces obstacles.
Chrysler Corp. plans to produce and sell cars powered by a smaller, lighter, more fuel efficient engine by the mid-1990s, the No. 3 auto maker said Tuesday.
The company said it will develop and produce a two-stroke engine in a joint venture with Mercury Marine, a manufacturer of boat engines known for its expertise in making two-strokes. Both Chrysler and Mercury Marine declined to disclose their financial investment in the project.
The two-stroke, commonly used in outboard boat engines, chain saws and motorcycles, offers auto makers more bang for the buck with less bulk. The larger four-stroke engine, which powers all cars sold in the United States today, requires four up-and-down motions of its pistons to burn fuel. By combining the intake of fresh air and the release of exhaust in one motion, the two-stroke uses half the piston cycles to produce the same power.
Saab, the Swedish auto maker, built cars with two-stroke engines until the 1960s, and the two-stroke powered the East German-built Trabant, whose production recently ground to an ignominious halt. But the engine’s reputation for poor fuel economy, noise and heavy pollution has kept it out of the U.S. market for decades.
Recent advances in electronic fuel injection technology and tightening fuel economy regulations have sparked renewed interest from auto makers in the lighter and more compact two-stroke. General Motors Corp. and Ford Motor Co. have licensing agreements with Orbital Engine Corp. and are researching two-stroke engine technology on their own. Honda, Toyota, Subaru, Fiat and Peugeot are also in the race to invent a version of the two-stroke that incorporates its size and cost benefits with lower emissions.
Joseph Goulart, manager of Chrysler’s alternative fuels task force, said the company’s two-stroke technology is superior to others now being developed. At about one-third the weight, the 1.1 liter, three-cylinder engine Chrysler is experimenting with generates 40% more power than a comparably powered four-stroke engine, Goulart said. The engine requires close to 200 fewer parts than a conventional engine, which makes it lighter and cheaper to produce.
Rich Schaum, Chrysler’s executive engineer in the alternate fuels program, said fuel economy will be enhanced by as much as 25%, depending on the vehicle.
Goulart said Chrysler has achieved its goal of creating a two-stroke that a consumer cannot distinguish from a four-stroke. The remaining hurdle, which Chrysler engineers acknowledge as a formidable one, is meeting emissions standards.
Chrysler is striving to meet EPA standards for the 1994 model year, which require that new car engines pass a 100,000-mile durability test to comply with emissions limits. Goulart said the main stumbling block will be to find a way to adequately break down nitrogen oxide, a key auto pollutant.
