Eastern Europe Bus Problem to Be Solved by 'Pulse Charge'
15 April 1999
Eastern Europe Bus Problem to Be Solved by 'Pulse Charge' Engine Efficiency Breakthrough BAT INTERNATIONAL Mr. Ron Holland, inventor of Pulse Charge technology, stands behind the Stuska water brake dynamometer running historic fuel efficiency tests. Pulse Charged Yanmar diesel engine is at right with some of the engine modifications visible. (PR NewsFoto) [PH] CHULA VISTA, CA USA 04/15/1999 CHULA VISTA, Calif., April 15 -- BAT International
(OTC Bulletin Board: BAAT) announced today that engines modified with its
long-awaited Dolphin Pulse Charge technology are achieving breakthrough fuel
efficiency. This patented technology will enable BAT to make final
modifications to the first of many heavy polluting older Eastern European
diesel bus engines.
(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/19990415/LATH045 )
"The finalization of Pulse Charge design for the modification of the first
bus engine the culmination of an extensive R&D program," said Ron Holland,
director of BAT's Pulse Charge R&D program. "It is a truly simple yet
revolutionary approach to improving the efficiency and emissions of internal
combustion engines." The technology can be incorporated into both new and
used engines when they are rebuilt.
BAT's Dolphin Pulse Charge technology is an innovative redesign of
internal combustion (IC) engines and the company has filed a patent
application with the US Patent and Trademark Office. It is the same
technology that enabled BAT's famous General Motors Geo Metro -- Dolphin Pulse
Charged engine by BAT -- to achieve 81 miles per gallon at 55 mph during a 30
mile highway loop test last summer. It can easily be incorporated during
engine overhauls on existing buses and trucks that are already on the road.
"Not only will our technology significantly reduce air pollution,"
explains Joe LaStella, president and CEO of BAT International, "it will also
improve fuel efficiency." In recent tests, the latest Pulse Charged engine
design resulted in a 15-20% increase in fuel efficiency and a 15% increase in
available horsepower. Fuel efficiency is especially important in Europe where
fuel is more heavily taxed than in the U.S. In fact, the Pulse Charged engine
even outperformed one of the most efficient diesel engines in the world that
is made by Volkswagen.
"The market potential is in the billions of dollars," says LaStella,
"especially in Eastern Europe and former Soviet Union countries. There are
more than 150,000 buses currently on the road in those countries whose engines
are built by a manufacturer with whom BAT is currently participating in a
Pulse Charge technology evaluation program."
Dolphin Pulse Charge Technology
Dolphin Pulse Charge technology significantly increases the breathing
capacity (or volumetric efficiency) and decreases pumping losses of IC
engines. The research required to achieve this breakthrough technology
involved repeated sequential modifications of engine components in order to
determine the overall effect of each modification on other components. "Over
the past four years, more than 30 different engines have been modified and
tested using Pulse Charge technology. Each modification involved component
redesign, extensive machining, and rigorous dynamometer testing," said
Holland. "In order to achieve optimum Pulse Charge benefits, new computer
generated cam shaft profiles had to be developed. They are unlike anything
now found in commercial engines. In addition, intake and exhaust manifolds,
intake and exhaust ports, combustion chambers in the piston heads and fuel
injection nozzles all had to be redesigned. However, once the engineering
process is complete, the modifications can easily be integrated into new
engines or during a scheduled engine overhauls."
In tests at BAT's "skunk works" facilities in Costa Mesa, California,
stock naturally aspirated (non-supercharged) Yanmar diesel engines modified
with Pulse Charge technology achieved record setting efficiencies averaging
.29 lbs. of fuel per horsepower hour (lbs./HP.hr). The Pulse Charged engines
used for the tests incorporated no optimization devices. The .29 fuel
efficiency is very significant when compared to a typical efficiency value of
.38 lbs./HP.hr for a well designed naturally aspirated industrial engine and
.34 lbs./HP.hr for a well designed supercharged engine. In addition, BAT's
Pulse Charge engine efficiency value was better than the world's most
efficient IC engine manufactured by Volkswagen (VW) which has a reported
efficiency of .30 lbs./HP.hp.
The dynamometer tests verify that a 15-20% improvement in fuel economy and
a 15% improvement in horsepower can be achieved with Dolphin Pulse Charging.
The technology can easily be incorporated in current engine production lines
with limited tooling investments. This will allow marketing of the technology
to both new engine companies and businesses rebuilding diesel engines.
Applications in Eastern Europe
BAT is now applying this engine efficiency technology to "clean up" the
first bus engine from Eastern Europe. When all of the Pulse Charge
modifications have been made to the engine, BAT will send it to a nationally
recognized independent testing laboratory. The lab will perform fuel economy
and emissions testing as part of contract data gathering requirements. Data
from these tests is expected in two months. BAT anticipates even greater fuel
economy and emission benefits from this heavy-duty engine test.
Additional information about the R&D program and its results can be found
at the Pulse Charge web site at http://www.pulsecharge.com. Tune in to
http://www.prnewswire.com on Tuesday, April 20th at 4:05PM EST to participate in a
global visionary conference call with executives and the president of BAT
International, Joe LaStella, for an in depth discussion of Pulse Charge
technology and how it provides solutions for fuel efficiency and climate
change.
BAT International is organized as a holding company with major ownership
positions in subsidiary companies now commercializing advanced transportation
and energy technology products developed by BAT. Technologies developed over
the last six years include electric vehicles, composite chassis,
super-efficient and high power engines, electric bicycles and scooters,
advanced batteries, lubricant additives, and electric power generation
systems. For information, see BAT's web site at http://www.baat.com.
This press release contains forward-looking statements that should not be
used to make an investment decision. Please refer to the BAT International
web site and other sources for more detailed Company information or call
Investor Relations: (619) 409-8977.
