The race towards net zero carbon emissions is underway. Reducing the impacts of the climate crisis involves a collaborative and individualized effort from countries and companies around the world. Reaching net zero would ensure the amount of greenhouse gas released into the atmosphere is equal to the amount of greenhouse removed and significantly reduces the harmful emissions that contribute to global warming, negatively impacting the planet, economy, and the health of the people.
One of the most meaningful impacts on the climate is the emissions from engines across many industries, from the automotive to the manufacturing industry. Electrification was our first attempt at solving this climate-impacting problem, but there may be other solutions that are just as good or better than current battery electric technology. “There may not be one global solution, but internal combustion engines of the future need to be developed to utilize locally available green fuels” – John Krzeminski, Alpha Otto CTO.
Alpha-Otto’s REV force technology aims to do just that by developing a green fuel agnostic combustion system. “One of the biggest challenges for carbon neutral fuels is exactly mimicking gasoline or diesel fuel properties. It is our approach to alternatively develop engine technology around the fuel instead of trying to make these green fuels work with our current technology,” – John Krzeminski has stated on the vision of Alpha-Otto Technologies.
Recent Department of Energy studies have shown that internal combustion engine technology paired with green fuels can reduce greenhouse gas emissions as much as battery electric technology. Internal combustion engine technology that utilizes green fuels (hydrogen, ammonia, alcohols, e-fuels, and others) paired with battery electric technology can be an even better alternative solution for greenhouse gas reduction. Alpha-Otto Technologies is developing its green fuel-powered engine technology specifically to support and expand hybrid electric solutions across all types of propulsion system platforms.
“To expand hybrid architectures across a wide variety of applications, we knew that we needed to develop a lightweight, high power density solution,” Krzeminski continues. This is why Alpha-Otto Technologies has developed a combustion engine that operates using REV Force Technology with the ability to be powered by green fuels, creating a carbon neutral alternative that delivers over two times the power output compared to traditional engines.
Read on to learn more about green fuels and how Alpha-Otto Technologies plans to develop its technology to utilize these fuel sources.
What are Green Fuels?
Green fuels, also known as renewable fuels, are fuels produced from renewable resources and have no or a low carbon footprint. These fuels are considered to be more environmentally friendly and sustainable than conventional fuels. This class of fuels includes biofuels made from plant sources, such as hydrogen produced by electrolysis with power coming from a renewable source, and e-fuels or engineered fuels made from renewable sources that result in a carbon-neutral hydrocarbon fuel. Green fuels are a significant part of the race to net zero, with a shift in efforts to focus on producing greener fuels and converting existing technologies to utilize them without any major modifications.
Why Are Green Fuel Powered Engines Used More?
With all of the benefits green fuel-powered combustion engines offer, it may come as a surprise to learn that they aren’t as common across many industries just yet. Electric powertrains continue to take center stage, with more governments around the world pushing this carbon-reducing technology through incentives and programs that prioritize EVs. As engineers meet the limitations of electrification, it is important that adapting a green fuel-powered internal combustion engine is a viable alternative and effective carbon reduction technology.
With the mission at Alpha-Otto Technologies to reimagine and reinvent traditional engines aligning more with energy efficiency and green initiatives, the development of REV Force technology has transformed how an internal combustion engine operates. The innovative design allows for using carbon-neutral fuels without sacrificing power and cost. With the ability to utilize a variety of green fuels on the market, this flexibility creates an opportunity for the potential to transform combustion engines into a greener technology by helping the many collaborative efforts around the globe to reach net zero carbon emissions.
