Technical Profile

Changing the transportation paradigm is far more complex than connecting a battery to an electric motor to produce an “electric car”. A true paradigm shift requires the replacement of every gasoline or diesel fueled engine in every application. This requires power that is equal to, or greater than, the conventional engine being replaced. It also requires the same operating characteristics and range of operation.

The global re-engineering of all vehicles for a completely different powertrain would be a lengthy and arduous task with a high probability of failure. To be quickly and inexpensively adapted, a new powertrain must adapt current vehicle manufacturing forge, machining, assembly and installation systems. This preserves trillions of dollars of global manufacturing processes and vehicle chassis design. Adapting current processes also preserves current labor expertise.

Conceived by automotive enthusiasts in the early 1990s to power a zero emissions land speed record vehicle, the ZED engine was intended for one specific use. Constrained by a hobby budget, the design called for innovation, imagination and a “clean sheet” approach. Components of a current gasoline engine were re-engineered to minimize design cost.

When a small number of auto manufacturers were approached for high tech engineering support which was beyond the resources of the hobbyist, it became evident that the ZED engine could be configured for mass production. Current foundry, machining and assembly processes were confirmed as readily adaptable to ZED engine production. Physically similar to a conventional engine, ZED could be installed in any vehicle, in the same location, and be coupled to the existing transmission. With fewer components than a conventional engine, the technical simplicity of ZED design was uniquely adaptable to China, India, and third world vehicle manufacturing.

ZED high operating efficiency is uniquely gained by being able to maintain the ideal stoichiometric ratio of combustion at all engine speeds and loads. This feature is unattainable by any engine currently in production because they ingest a fixed volume of ambient air with each stroke. As the throttle varies the amount of fuel in the cylinder under different speeds and loads, the engine cannot attain the most efficient ratio of air to fuel for optimal combustion with an unchanging volume of air. ZED engines can maintain the optimal stoichiometric ratio, resulting in higher efficiency, more power, and less pollution with any fuel. When fuelled with hydrogen, ZED horsepower and torque are approximately double that of a similar sized engine, while producing zero pollution.

The second problem overcome by ZED, is that the waste heat energy from combustion is discharged as waste by a conventional engine. Using as little as 10-15% of the energy content of gasoline for motion, so much excess energy is wasted by a conventional engine that it must be discharged into a radiator cooling system and the exhaust. In contrast, ZED is a bottom-cycle engine, in that it scavenges the heat of combustion and converts it to engine power. The patent protected scavenging is designated “Edber-Cycle”. ZED engines do not have a radiator cooling system. The exhaust is less than half the temperature of a conventional engine, and only warm to the touch with hydrogen fuel.

The third efficiency problem inherent to conventional engines is the differential in speed between the combustion ignition event and the speed of the piston. Within the engine cylinder a supersonic explosion of the fuel “hammers” the slow moving piston with a very inefficient transfer of energy. In contrast, ZED engines have slowed the piston activation event down to a controlled and highly efficient “push”. The resulting slower engine speed promotes longer engine life, less maintenance, lower emissions and better fuel economy.

Zero Power Corporation owns 100% of the patented ZED engine technology.