Ricardo-Achates partnership receives ARPA-E funding for opposed piston GCI engine

12 September 2020

The newly formed partnership between Ricardo North America and Achates Power of San Diego, California has received an Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) grant to advance the development of an opposed-piston gasoline compression ignition (OP GCI) engine intended for full-size pick-up trucks.

Ricardo partnered with Achates in June, and added to its powertrain design and development capabilities by expanding its Southern California team. The new Ricardo facility is located a few miles north from Achates Power.

Achates has been engaged with ARPA-E for several years, developing the OP GCI pickup truck engine along with partners Delphi, Argonne, Aramco, and others. The new Gen II program builds upon the Gen I opposed piston engine with a focus on efficiency, weight, emissions and power. The 3-cylinder engine will be comprised of a GCI combustion system, a novel boosting system, 48V electrification and advanced manufacturing techniques to minimize engine weight.

Achates Power was also working on an opposed-piston engine for a Class 8 truck, and assisted Fairbanks Morse in the development of the new version of their two-stroke opposed-piston Trident OPTM engine (rated at 3.335/3.705 MWe) for power generation applications.

Source: Ricardo