Aussie engine could clean up Asian cities, designers say

Aussie engine could clean up Asian cities, designers say

CANBERRA (AFP): A new two-stroke engine designers believe could help clear the air of Asian cities polluted by the exhaust emissions of millions of motorcycles was unveiled here yesterday.

The Perth-based Orbital Engine Corp. (OEC), developers of revolutionary car engine technology designed by West Australian inventor Ralph Sarich, claims its latest system cuts emissions by 95 percent.

The company is hoping to penetrate the booming Asian motorcycle market with its Small Engine Fuel Injection System, which it says has achieved ultra-low emissions of hydrocarbons and oxides of nitrogen, as well as producing fuel savings of 45 percent, in engines of up to 125cc.

OEC's chief financial officer, John Beech, launched the new engine at a function in Parliament House attended by diplomatic representatives.

The new technology had particular relevance for booming Asian cities, where the motorcycle was a key part of the urban transport system, Beech said.

Demand for new scooters and motorcycles had been growing by more than one million a year in such countries as China, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam.

"The problem is that the emissions being generated by the motorcycle are a major pollution problem," he said.

"We believe with the special fitting of our system to existing motorcycles and incorporation into new motorcycles we can have a profound impact on that major environmental problem."

OEC is now discussing its breakthrough with governments and manufacturers and hopes to see its product in the marketplace within 18 months.

Beech said OEC had already made significant progress in penetrating the marine market with its low-emission, fuel-saving engines.

Industry Minister Peter Cook, who attended the launch, took a ride later in one of two Orbital-engine powered cars being tested by the company.

Ford Motor Co. is expected to decide by the end of the year whether to incorporate Orbital's engines in its cars and trucks.

Cook described OEC as "an Australian success story," producing technology that could revolutionize motor transport throughout the world.