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.