I take it that hybrid discussion is now allowed?
I've been a free-piston "nut" since first hearing about the technology
in the 1980s. The tech itself dates to the 1920s, though direct electric
output work is more recent. This Toyota project is reminiscent of the
work of the Jarret brothers in France, who were mentioned in Popular
Science in 1980, and Southwest Research Institute specifically proposed
this kind of engine for hybrid cars in 1995.
The article does go astray in mentioning that there might be a problem
with the engine being two-stroke, because of emissions. The only reason
that two-strokes have a reputation for bad emissions is that most are
scavenged with a fuel-air mixture, some of which escapes, raw, into the
atmosphere. Free-piston engines, like all two-stroke diesel engines, are
of course fuel-injected and use air alone for scavenging, so the problem
doesn't arise. Even if a gasoline version is built, I am certain that
it, too, will be fuel-injected.
Best,
Marc de Piolenc
Philippines
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